


Invisible String

by pls_let_me_in



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, Riordanuniverse
Genre: M/M, Multi, Soulmate AU, no one actually knows who Will is, prince!Nico, that's a Mystery, they are in livigno for great part of this, you might want to look it up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:02:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 35,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27191455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pls_let_me_in/pseuds/pls_let_me_in
Summary: Spending Christmas’ Eve with a complete stranger wasn’t in Will’s to-do list, but sometimes fate really doesn’t care about one’s opinion, and strange shit happens. That’s what happened to Will, he was just chilling, with text-books spread all over the place, hoping anyone would just come and save him, when the doorbell rang. Not fifteen minutes later, Will was moving across the globe to meet his soulmate.orWill is a college student, whose life changes when he finds his soulmate. Actually, when Internet finds his soulmate, Prince Niccolò of an island Will doesn't know the name of. He knows it's in Europe, though.
Relationships: Will Solace & Nico Di Angelo, Will Solace/Nico di Angelo
Comments: 39
Kudos: 170





	1. 17th and 18th of December

Spending Christmas’ Eve with a complete stranger wasn’t in Will’s to-do list, but sometimes fate really doesn’t care about one’s opinion, and strange shit happens. That’s what happened to Will, he was just chilling, with text-books spread all over the place, hoping _anyone_ would just come and save him, when the doorbell rang. Not fifteen minutes later, Will was moving across the globe to meet his soulmate.

Will had spent most of his day with Princess Hazel. She had talked him through the procedures, telling him what he’d need to do when the Prince came home.

‘I’m sure he’ll be happy to finally meet you,’ she had said more than once. ‘He’s reserved, really reserved. Don’t let his demeanor fool you, though. He’s a sweetheart.’ 

She had given him such a sweet, little smile, that Will couldn’t do anything but believe her. It hurt him just to think about meeting his soulmate, but what could he do? He had no chance of leaving. 

Then he met Prince Niccolò. It wasn’t love at first sight, not with the way Will’s heart crumbled. 

Will had been stuffed into a navy suit, and a long grey French coat, worth more than his apartment’s lease. He was shifting his weight from one foot to the other, when Queen Persephone sent a glance his way, and he finally stopped, blushing a deep red. The bells rang and a sleek, black car pulled in the driveway of the palace. 

It stopped before the fountain. Will’s heart was thumping in his chest, so fast and hard it was a mystery how no one else heard. It was the 17th of December, but the sun was too hot on his skin. 

A body-guard pulled the door of the car open, and the Prince stepped out. He was wearing a black military uniform, the only touch of color were the embroidery buttons of the jacket, one of which the Prince was just pulling close, and the medals hanging on his chest. 

Their eyes met. From the very first second, Will knew he couldn’t walk away. The mark on his shoulder burnt as though on fire, but not nearly as hot as the tears on his eyes.

The Prince had stilled, too, completely taking in Will’s appearance. 

Somewhere, the bells rang again, and cameras went off.

It was a long ride to the airport, but this time Will wasn’t alone. It was four in the morning, the air was cold, and the silence heavy. They were heading to the Royal Family’s chalet in the Alps between France and Italy, Will hadn’t understood the name of the place. He was half-asleep when they told him, anyway. He wasn’t even sophisticated enough to have ever heard of it, to be honest. 

In the reflection of the car window, Will saw that the Prince was giving him his back. He was wearing a suit, still completely black, and an obsidian ring shone on his middle-finger. He was already in the car by the time Will reached the parking lot.

Will wanted to talk, but he didn’t have anything to say. He closed his eyes, and faked sleeping. He actually dozed off at some point, and was awoken by the Prince shaking his shoulder. He wore a black face mask, that only left his forehead and eyes uncovered. Will couldn’t see whether his eyes were black or brown, nor differentiate between the pupils and the irises. His heart jumped up in his throat.

“We’re at the airport,” the Prince said, before hopping down the car. 

He had left a blue face mask behind, and Will wondered whether it was for him for half a minute, before deciding he would just take it. It was soft under his fingers, and smelled of oranges.

He and the Prince had only taken a few items with them, the Queen had said many times that their belonging would arrive later in the evening. 

They sat beside each other during the short airplane ride, little more than an hour and a half in the air. The Prince was tense in every place they touched each other. Thigh, arm, and shoulder. Maybe he was always like that, he often seemed like a statue.

“We haven’t been properly introduced to each other,” Will said, finally raising his eyes from the ground. His voice was steady, despite the thumping of his heart. “I’m Will.”

“Niccolò,” the Prince replied. “You’re American, right?”

“Yeah. Someone told you?”

“Your accent.”

Will nodded. He didn’t find anything to say for a long moment. “Texas.” He cleared his throat. “That’s my accent.”

“I’ve never been there,” the Prince said. He yawned discretely. God, he probably thought that Will was some sort of uncultured peasant. “I heard it’s horrible, though.” Will blinked at him, and the Prince blushed a deep red. “No offense.”

“None taken. It’s not –it’s not horrible if you’re a white supremacist, though.” 

“Are you?”

“Absolutely no. That’s why I moved to New York.”

The corner of the Prince’s lips twitched. “There I’ve been.”

“I go to school there.”

“You go to college?”

Will nodded. “You just ended your military service, right?”

The Prince’s face turned dark, as though a shadow had fallen upon it. Nodding, he looked out of the window, clearly putting an end to the conversation. Will tried not to let it get to him. It wasn’t like he wanted to be there, anyway.

“It’s a mansion,” Will said as soon as he could see the ‘chalet’. “Like, it’s bigger than the mountain peak.”

Prince Niccolò gave him a blank stare. “No, it’s not. This is not even the mountain peak. Have you seen the mountain peak?”

Will bit his tongue. _I need to shut up, I need to shut up, I need to-_

Then the Prince clicked his tongue, the sound made the blood in Will’s vein rush in anger. “Did–”

Will didn’t let him finish. “You said it was on a mountain, and this is not a mountain! This –this is a village. We are in a village, not a mountain. A village at the foot of the mountain, but still a village. Seriously, did you take me here to kill me? Is that why you wouldn’t even tell me where we were going?”

The Prince blinked slowly, completely unmoved by Will’s rant. Will, who was flushed and panting, as though he had had to run there, instead of having taken the car alongside the Prince. 

“Was that sarcasm?” the Prince asked. “Is that your humor?”

“No, that’s–was _that_ sarcasm?” 

If that was someone else’s life, Will would have laughed. With tears in his eyes, and cramps in his stomach, because holy shit, that is not something that’s supposed to happen. Who would ever be kidnapped one week before Christmas, to go live with his so-called soulmate, who is the Prince of a small island between Italy and Greece, then dragged to a fucking chalet?

“No, that was me replying to you.” The Prince’s lips twitched, but he didn’t smile. “Were _you_ sarcastic when you asked _me_ if I was being sarcastic?”

“Are you being –no wait. You are mocking me!”

The Prince turned to the side. “I would never do that. You are such a put together person, it would be hard to find reasons to mock you.”

Even without seeing his face, Will knew the Prince was smiling. He wondered what his face looked like when he did, whether his nose scrunched up. It wasn’t a strange thought, really, he had just noticed that the tip of his nose moved a lot when he talked, it was only realistic that the whole thing would also–

No. That was a mistake. Will couldn’t do that. Thinking about the Prince’s nose would make him human, and Will couldn’t do that. No sir. 

So, Will said the only thing he could think of. 

“I want pizza for dinner.” Then the Prince gave him a bewildered expression. “Thank you.”

“It’s not even midday!” The Prince was saying, but Will had already reached the door.

He realized a bit too late that he didn’t have the keys. It was embarrassing to say the least, but he just stood there and made no move to turn back.

The Prince’s voice turned lower when he spoke in Italian, Will heard it when he was NOT eavesdropping standing just outside the living room on the first floor, but just minding his business. By not hiding. And he was always silent, thank you very much. He hadn’t been careful not to step too loudly, nor knock into anything. He never did. 

Since Will couldn’t understand Italian, he just waited until the Prince didn’t talk for a couple of minutes before dropping in the room. 

“Where you watching me,” the Prince asked, although it sounded more like an answer than a question. He was sitting on the floor, just in front of the fireplace,

Will’s skin heated up, as he crossed his arms. “No, absolutely not.”

“I saw you.”

“There was nothing to see.”

“You were standing there, not moving, with your ear against the door.”

Will’s silence lasted a bit too long. “You must have confused the coat hanger with me.” 

“The only coat hanger is attached to the wall next to the door, on the other side of the floor.”

Will clasped his hands. “So you agree with me that this house is massive!”

“You were–”

“You seem to know a lot about me. Were _you_ spying on me?”

The Prince stuttered. Will almost pitied him for a second. He had lived with his siblings for years, there was no way he’d lose an argument. From what little he’d heard about the Prince from Hazel, he guessed they didn’t fight nor bicker often. He had no practice in front of Will. For once in his life, he was glad for his sister Kayla’s habit of being nosy as fuck, which had given them countless occasions to fight. 

“Your pizza will be here at twelve,” the Prince ended up saying, after some grumbling in Italian. Or Greek. Will didn’t know much of either, but it was probably Italian.

“Why? Won’t you be eating it too?” 

“Italian pizza is different from American pizza. You, like, share one with multiple people, right? Italian pizza isn’t supposed to be eaten in slices. You eat a whole one.”

“Like, you don’t cut it? You fold it in half and stuff it in your mouth? I’m seriously confused.”

“Of course you cut it!”

Will shook his head. It wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have. “When will yours arrive, then?”

“At twelve.”

“You –you seriously need to work on your communication skills, man.”

Once again, the Prince’s unblinking stare settled on Will. “Right.” He cleared his throat, the air around them shifted to awkward. 

Will supposed it wasn’t surprising, they were strangers with a house all to themselves, after all. He dropped on the floor in front of the Prince, so close to the fire his skin heated up immediately. He drummed his fingers on the hardwood floor, the sound echoed in the silence. 

“So, are you like giving me a tour?” he asked.

The Prince tilted his head to the side. “Couldn’t you just look up the city on Google Maps?”

“I meant of the house. I mean, if you’re as _put together_ as you don’t look, I guess you have it–”

“I look very much put-together.”

“You are sitting on a floor, when there are multiples sofas, you look at me like a deer caught in the headlights whenever I talk, and your nose scrunches up when your lips move downwards.” The Prince opened his mouth, and Will silenced him with a wave of his index finger. “Don’t fight me on this, it’s happening right now.”

The Prince’s silence prolonged for a moment, before he brought his fingers to his nose, smoothing it out. Will felt a strange kind of pleasure with the knowledge that the Prince was blushing. 

“Wait, what were you doing before coming in here then? I thought you were exploring.”

“I don’t normally snoop around people’s houses. Or chalets. Or mansions.”

The Prince looked at him from under a thick layer of lashes. “Castles?”

Will shrugged, a grin pulled at his lips. “When the occasion arises.”

For a moment, it looked like the Prince may laugh. He didn’t, and Will tried to keep the disappointment hidden. He shouldn’t even be disappointed, damn. 

“So, where is my tour?” Will continued.

“I haven’t been here in ages. I’m not even sure I remember where things are supposed to be.”

“Good then!” Will clasped his hands, a smile erupted on his face, as the Prince flinched. “We’re exploring!”

“But–”

“I can snoop around if the owner of the house is with me.”

“Your logic baffles me.”

Will rose to his feet, so fast his head started spinning, and bent down to grab the Prince by the shoulder. “Come on! We don’t have forever.”

“We’re literally stuck here for a week,”

Will tried pulling the Prince up, but he seemed cemented on the floor. “Time flies when you have fun!”

“We’ve been here for half an hour and it already feels like a lifetime.” Despite his words, the Prince stood, his legs wobbled for a moment.

“Wow, rude.” 

Despite his words, Will didn’t let go of the Prince’s wrist –his hand had fallen there somewhere during the run, and honestly, why not?– and stopped only when he reached the hallway. Their hand-bags were still by the door, which made sense, since neither of them had tried moving them.

“So, we’ll act like you are a mannered guest instead of yourself–”

The Prince snorted. “That’s incredibly bold to say for someone who believed me to be a murderer less than an hour ago.”

“I was just ranting, and honestly–”

“So that wasn’t sarcasm.”

Will waved his finger. “Don’t try luring me into that loop again.” He exhaled heavily, and let go of the Prince’s wrist to put his hands on his hips. “So, that tour.”

The Prince rolled his eyes, and pointed to the stairs on the left. “The second floor. Go there, and you’ll easily find your way to the attic.” He pointed to the direction they had come from. “That’s the living room, and–” the only other door. “I honestly don’t remember. I think there’s like a corridor? You can reach everything from everywhere. The chalet is all connected, so–”

“Wait, wait, wait. Is this the tour?”

The Prince slowly blinked. He probably spent half of his time doing just that, it was in equal part amusing and annoying. “Yes?”

Will _tsked_. In the back of his mind, he was aware he was acting like a child, especially when he started stomping his foot on the ground. “In a tour, you need to walk around. Point at the rooms, and tell me something about each of them. Something that will make me smile.”

“I don’t even know what makes you smile.”

“I know, that’s what we need this bonding experience for! So you get to know it.”

The Prince rolled his eyes. “You are probably one of those people who just smile when they see cat videos on Instagram. God, you probably even laugh when you see dogs stumble and fall.”

“I’ll let you know, I actually cry when dogs fall, because they are pure souls, and don’t deserve such treatment.” He sighed. “So, my tour…”

Will wasn’t surprised to hear the Italian grumbling at this point. What surprised him was that the Prince actually gave up, and started stomping toward the mystery door.

“So you only came to the living room, where _I_ was?” the Prince asked.

Without paying much attention, Will nodded. 

“So you stayed here? Like an insect when you draw a circle around them?”

Will shook his head. “I’m sorry I have manners and don’t sno–oh my God. Oh my God. Is that –is that you?” Will pointed at the pictures on the wall, eliciting a groan from the Prince. “In a onesie? Oh my God!”

“Who else would it be?” he asked. 

“Babies all look the same, you could have told me that was the neighbor’s daughter, and I would have believed you. Oh God, is that a –is that you dressed as a princess? This is _priceless_!”

“Oh, shut up,” the Prince said, covering his face with his hands. 

Will giggled. “You were adorable. What happened to you?”

“Gee, thank you. I may not be a mannered host, but you aren’t the perfect guest, either.”

Will flashed him the finger. “Be glad I haven’t mentioned how you’re still not out of your emo phase. Anyway–”

“I have never gone through an emo phase.”

Will raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, Wednesday Addams. Whatever you say.”

The Prince huffed. “It’s such a pleasure to have you here.”

“Thank you, I’ve always been told I was a pleasure to have in class.”

“I don’t believe that for a second.”

“Yeah, that was a lie. I was always considered too loud and–”

“Always considered?” He scoffed. “More like _always was_.”

“I will tell your sister about your behavior.”

“My sister? Let’s hope she doesn’t ground me.”

“Well, I’m sorry your father scares me!”

The Prince’s lips started twitching again, and Will wondered why he didn’t just smile. It was far easier than fighting it, to be honest. Plus, he had some freckles on his nose, and Will wanted to see whether they’d stretch or not.

The doorbell rang, a loud sound, that had Will jump in the air.

The Prince snickered. “Come on, pizza is here. Try not to faint when you see our shadows.”

Will stuck out his tongue at him, but the Prince was already in the hallway. 

“You’re giving me the real tour later, right?” Will asked, sitting at the kitchen counter.

The Prince rolled his eyes. “I swear to God, I’m going to put you in the dungeons.”

Will gave him a saccharine smile, and lied through his teeth. “Funny. I looked it up on the Internet, you can’t do that.”

Once again, Will was put under the Prince’s unblinking stare. “You are in a city you don’t know, in a country you don’t speak the language of, with a stranger.”

“I know you, now. You are a bit grumpy, but also a big, big softie.”

The Prince’s face scrunched up, as though Will had put a lemon in his mouth. Would he be offended if Will took out his phone and took a photo? Probably, but it wasn’t really Will’s problem, was it? Unfortunately, the Prince turned his face back into careful blankness before Will could act. 

He turned to open the fridge. “We only have water.”

“It’s freezing outside, don’t take it from the fridge.”

Without taking his eyes off Will, the Prince stepped away from the fridge, revealing all its emptiness. Will looked at the fridge. Then at the Prince’s exhausted expression. He couldn’t control the laugh bubbling up inside of him, especially when the Prince took four glasses and filled them with water, not to make more than one trip to the sink. 

“I was wondering–”

“If the word tour leaves your mouth, I swear to God, I will close myself in the bathroom.”

“I mean, sounds more like a treat than a threat, but okay. That’s not what I was asking, though.”

“Will this bonding experience ever be over?” The Prince groaned. “Can’t I ever just eat?”

“I’m not stopping you from eating, so –oh, wait. Are those your manners? Are you not eating because I’m not eating either, and that’s what a good host would do? Aren’t you the–”

“I’m jumping out of the window if you don’t shut up,” he grumbled, finally opening the pizza box. 

“Rude. Does anyone stay here when you’re not? Like, did we throw someone out?”

“No, I don’t think so. Wait, are you asking me so you can call someone to rob us?” 

“That would be pretty idiotic of me, wouldn’t it?”

“Oh, like the Queen wouldn’t protect you. You just had to look at her once, with your blue eyes, and your puppy enthusiasm, and she was gone for you.”

_ The Queen _ . Will hadn’t wanted to assume, he knew mixed people that could pass as white, and he knew it was rude to ask. So, since the King was white, the Queen black, and Hazel black, he had just thought the Prince was white passing. It must have been written on his face, because the Prince reached over to open Will’s box for him, as though he didn’t want to look at his face. 

“She’s not my mother, you know,” he said. “I’m just the King’s bastard son.”

Will gasped. “No one says things like that, anymore.”

“Not where you are from, they don’t.” The Prince took a slice of pizza, and motioned over for Will to do the same. “Listen, you are part of this, now. I’m not going to lie to you, it has both pros and cons. You will never have to worry about money, rent, whatever you used to before. But you have to be extremely careful. Whenever you do something wrong, people will be there to judge you. Things as little as leaving a party too early or too late, you will be seen anyway, and people will try to tear down every single move you make, until even you doubt yourself. Until even you can’t like yourself.”

Will cleared his throat. “I know what it’s like.”

The Prince shook his head. “You don’t.”

Will’s throat closed. He should have told the Prince. He should have looked in those brown eyes, and simply said that his parents weren’t exactly farmers. He opened his mouth. He was about to say it.

“It’s the first time I eat pizza so close to Italy, you know?”

The Prince didn’t pressure him for more, he just rolled his eyes, cheeks dusted with pink. “You really have no idea where we are, do you?”

“Yes, I do! In the border between Italy and France.”

Will’s smug moment was cut short by the Prince’s scoff. 

“We’re in Livigno, genius. It’s in Italy. Well, technically it’s on Switzerland soil, but it’s an Italian city.”

Will shrugged, willing his blush to disappear. “You should stop lying to yourself.”

“Says the guy who treats borders between countries like they are no man’s land. ‘Where are you Will?’ ‘Oh, you know, just in the border.’ You should have been given bodyguards, seriously. You are a public danger!”

Will shook his head, but there was no way of hiding the stupid smile on his face. “Going back to pizza–”

“Pizza and tour, two words that will give me nightmares and scar me for life.”

“So, now that we’re talking about tours again!” Will moved so fast on the high stool he bumped into the pizza box and sent it flying to the floor across the room. Luckily, the pizza didn’t fall out. 

“Was that you sending the pizza on a tour?” 

“No, that was a threat for you.” Will pointed at the floor, where his pizza was looking back at him. “Take me on a tour, or you’ll end up like the pizza.”

“In your stomach? Because I’m not calling the restaurant to order another.”

“Wow, I see the length you’d go for me. I’ll remember it.” He popped down the stool, and bent to take back his food. “Look! It’s not even smudged. You should give me the restaurant’s name, I’ll put on a nice review.”

When he turned, he found the Prince stubbornly looking at his food. “I can take you to the village later. Do you ski?”

“No. Do you?”

“Well, yes. There’s this hotel where you can use one of those sled with dogs. I can call and see if they have a spot for us in the next few days, I’m not sure, though.” He looked up, to see Will staring at him with wide eyes. “What? Is there something on my face?”

Not caring about the dough on his fingers, Will put his hands on the Prince’s cheeks, and squished. “Do you think they have puppies?” 

“What the–what are you doing to my face?”

“I’m forcing you to look at me, because I honestly think that I’m more interesting than food. So, do they have puppies?”

Will squished tighter, and the Prince’s words turned out muffled. “How would I know?”

“How would you not know? How can you go anywhere without checking whether there’s puppies or not?”

“You’re here with me. Did _you_ check?”

Will threw his hands in the air. “I just admitted that I didn’t know what city we are in, so make a wild guess, _darlin’_.” 

The Prince shook his head, exhaling through his nose. “We wouldn’t go there today, anyway.”

“I want the tour of the house first, anyway.”

“Sure thing, _Your Highness_.”

“Thank you, _peasant_.” 

For a second, Will thought he’d gone too far, taken the jokes too lightly, and the Prince would never talk to him again. Then, the Prince just shook his head.

“You are so bad mannered it’s literally scary.”

“My Texan grandmother would be heartbroken over your words.”

“My Italian grandmother would tell you not to talk while you eat.”

Will rolled his eyes, stuffing another slice of pizza in his mouth. “She would love me. I’m lovable. Lovely. I would sweep her off her feet.”

“I’d tell her you called me a peasant and she’d hate you forever.”

“Would she?”

The Prince’s lips twitched, he took a large gulp of water before responding. “No, not really.”

Will scoffed. “I’m far too bright for your lies.”

“Sure thing, _principino.”_

“What does it mean?”

The Prince sighed. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“I’m calling Persephone,” the Prince said. “That was her doing. Or Hazel’s. I hope to God it wasn’t my father, or I’m fucking retiring as Prince, and they can find someone else to fill the fucking spot.”

So the Prince stomped away, Will heard his angry steps on the stairs, as he went to retrieve his phone. Will just stood there, watching the only bed in the whole house as though he had never seen one before.

During their tour, they had discovered that every bed had disappeared, except for the one in the Prince’s room. A queen size bed –which Will would have found hilarious, in any other circumstance– with far more pillows than necessary. 

Outside it was already dark, although it was only five in the afternoon. Will could almost see people on the streets in the village, which wasn’t more than fifteen minutes by foot, or so the Prince had said.

Without anything else to do as he waited for the Prince to return, Will decided to snoop around a little. He stopped in front of the desk in the corner of the room, remembering he _couldn’t_ snoop around. Then the Prince would know that Will was a snooper, a serial snooper, which he had denied being. With a heavy sigh, Will fell on the chair.

There was a trunk in front of the bed. It looked pretty old, probably the first thing in the whole chalet that had a story, and it was in the Prince’s room. Will couldn’t help but wonder what was in it.

The Prince reappeared at the doorframe, heavily panting, leaning forward on his knees.

“Geez, did you run all the way back to your island?” Will asked, a hint of a smile on his face.

“I can’t believe you don’t even know the name of ‘my island’,” he replied, making quotation mark with his fingers.

Will stared at him without blinking, much like the Prince often did. “Maybe you don’t know it, and I don’t want to give you any clues.”

“Why wouldn’t I–do you even hear yourself when you speak? God, you’re giving me a headache. A headache!”

The Prince sat on the bed, taking off his shoes to fold his legs underneath himself. He passed his hand through his dark hair, sighing heavily. 

“What can I say, it’s part of my appeal,” Will replied, shrugging. “You’ll get wrinkles if you keep frowning, _darlin’_.” 

The Prince sighed again. “I’m not even going to respond to that.” 

Will stretched his arms over his head, arching on the chair until he started seeing black and foggy. He spoke around a yawn. “So I win.”

“You don’t win shit, don’t you –whatever. That’s not what I needed to say.” He finally took his hands off his face, revealing his frown. “Persephone –that’s the Queen, in case you didn’t catch her name either– said that the other beds needed changing.”

“We can order one on Amazon. Wait, does it exist in Europe?”

“We’re in Asia.”

Will’s eyes widened, and only then did he notice the Prince’s grin. He put his hand on his racing heart. “You’re an asshole.”

“It’s not my fault you have no clue as to where you are, _principino_.” The Prince shook his head, and passed his hands through his hair again. “Anyway. She said we can’t get other beds for a couple of days, so we only have this. I’ll just sleep on the couch downstairs. By the way, your suitcase was lost, so only mine was delivered.”

“Lost.”

“Well, as you can imagine, it probably never left the island. Persephone must have told the bodyguards to bring it back to the palace.”

“But why would she do that?” 

“She reads too many books, that’s why. She probably thinks sharing clothes is a bonding experience, or whatever.” He fell on his back, making the pillows bounce. “We can buy clothes tomorrow. I don’t want to go out now.”

Will scratched the back of neck. “I didn’t really bring that much money.”

“I told you, you don’t need to worry about it anymore. You can just use one of my cards.”

“I’d much rather not do that. Just–I don’t want to use your money.”

The Prince looked at him for a long moment, but he didn’t insist. 

“I’ll sleep on the couch, you stay here. It’s your bed.”

“You’ve been calling me a bad host all day,” the Prince said. “Let _me_ sleep on the couch. I insist.”

“No, you’re sleeping here. It’s your house.”

“Listen, for the past two years, I’ve mostly slept on the ground. I can handle sleeping on the couch for a week.” 

“I’m letting you sleep on the couch in your own house.”

“I’m not letting you sleep on the couch in my own house.”

“What if we slept together? No wait, that got out wrong. Like, what if we share the bed? No wait, that’s like letting the Queen win. We’ll share the couch!”

“How is that any different?” 

“I’ve seen the living room, _darlin’._ There’s like three couches. I’ve seen couch-sellers with less couches, plus the fireplace is there! It’s perfect. We can even make a blanket fort! It’ll be like a cool sleepover.”

The Prince rubbed his closed wrists on his eyes. “I haven’t done blanket forts when I was a kid, I’m not going to start now. So get it out of your head.”

“You are no fun.”

“Whatever.”

“So, are we having a sleepover?”

“It’s not a sleepover, are you going to call the whole week a sleepover? Because I’m already finding it annoying.”

“Yeah, I know, it’ll give you a headache. Anyway, we need to bring the blankets and pillows downstairs, and take pajamas. Did you bring any?”

As it turned out, the Prince was quite a bit taller than Will, which he had noticed, but not given too much thought to. Just taller enough that he needed to roll up the pants. The Prince also gave him a pair of sponge socks and a sweatshirt in which he literally swam, and told him where he could find a toothbrush. The neck of the sweatshirt kept falling over his shoulder. 

When Will got out of the bathroom, the Prince was also wearing a pajama. Will shook his head, feigning disappointment. 

“And you say you have never had an emo phase. You say that to my face, then give me black clothes, as you wear black clothes, and have only brought black clothes.” Will waved his index in front of the Prince, who tried to take a step back, but was blocked by the bed. “I may not know much about Europe. European princes, _hell_ , I didn’t even know your island existed. But! I know everything about emo phases. So don’t you _dare_ lying like that to my face, _ever again_.”

“You are so weird it’s scary.”

“Thank you. So, blanket fort?”

“Absolutely not.”


	2. 19th of December

The only light in the room was coming from the embers in the fireplace. Red embers, and Will’s widened eyes. Nico startled.

Was it a vision? A trick of the light? No, Nico rubbed his eyes, and Will was still there, kneeling in front of him, with a blanket that went around his head, and fell over his shoulders like a knight’s cape. And he was staring right into Nico’s eyes, like a puppy who has broken its favorite toy.

Nico groaned. “What is it now?”

Will came even closer, and his words came out as a whisper, as though he was afraid of being overheard. Like he wasn’t the one who listened to other people’s conversations. “Don’t be too nice, I might get used to it. So, listen, you know how I said we should both sleep in the living room?”

How he could formulate such complex sentences at –what was it? One in the morning?– was far above Nico’s knowledge.

“Pretty sure I was there,” Nico replied, covering his face with his arm.

Will pulled Nico’s arm away, eliciting another groan from him. “So, do you remember?”

“Are you seriously asking–?”

“I think I’m about to shit myself.”

Nico stared at him, his lips tugged downwards, and his tiredness didn’t seem so important anymore. “I didn’t spend the afternoon showing you the house _multiple_ times, so that you could remember where the toilet was, to just hold your hand and get you there myself in the middle of the night. I swear to God, I’m–”

“No! Not like that, I mean, figuratively. Like, I’m scared.”

“Scared.”

“There’s strange sounds in this place. Like, I was just minding my own business, and suddenly the floor creaked. What floor creaks? Why would it? Is this place haunted? If you brought me to a haunted chalet, I’m suing you! Suing you!”

Will was resting his forearms next to Nico’s chest, and for the first time, he noticed just how close they were. If he leaned forward, he could just grab Will by the ear, and pull him back to the other couch to sleep. Not doing it was costing him a lot of self-control.

“What do you want me to do? Call the ghost busters?” Nico thought that pulling the blanket over his head and curling on himself would just put an end to the discussion, but he had never met someone as uncaring toward social signals as Will.

“It’s the middle of the night, they wouldn’t even be open.” He pulled the blanket away. “Can we go upstairs?”

“I’m sleeping, just go if you want to.”

“Yes, because I want to take the stairs alone. I had to give myself a one hour long pep-talk before crossing the distance between that couch and this couch, and I had to crawl. Crawl!”

There was something Nico’s father often told him. ‘You are stubborn. It will make for an interesting king, seeing as you don’t ever want to bend’. Well. Nico wouldn’t bend. He knew it. Everyone knew he didn’t bend.

Then, Will’s voice came soft, little more than a whisper, as he slowly set his hand where Nico’s was, only the blanket dividing them.

“ _Please_.”

Nico’s eyes opened. Will was still there, in front of him, with those bright, puppy-like eyes, and he was staring right at Nico. From the window behind him, the snow glowed white under the starlight.

“I know there’s only one bed, I’ll just sleep on the floor. Just –I don’t want to stay here.”

Nico sighed, but for an entirely different reason, even he couldn’t quite pin-point. “Alright. Let’s go.”

He already knew he wouldn’t let Will sleep on the floor. When they arrived upstairs, he just tugged Will to the bed, where they both laid.

Nico fell asleep as soon as he touched the mattress.

The second time Nico woke up, the sun was shining in the sky, and the bed where Will had slept was cold. Nico himself was in the middle of it, which was strange, considering he remembered falling asleep on the edge of the mattress.

Shaking the thought out of his head, he slipped from the covers. He put on another sweatshirt, one he was pretty sure his grandmother had knitted for him.

Will was sitting at the head of the stairs, hugging his knees to his chest, and his expression light up when he saw Nico.

“I couldn’t find the kitchen!” he exclaimed, like it was something he was proud of.

Nico rubbed his ear. It was far too early in the morning for Will’s brightness. “Just snoop around next time. This place is yours too, now.”

It was something he said mostly to himself, he needed the reminder sometimes. With the constant, buzzing cheer around Will, it was hard to remember that he didn’t want to be there, he was forced to. What Nico really didn’t understand though, was why Will’s face fell so much when Nico said those words. After all, that was one of the pros. He was rich now, like filthy rich. So rich, every friend of his could be rich, too. Of course, that came to the price of being Nico’s soulmate. That wasn’t a path Nico wanted to go down, though. Not so early in the morning.

“Alright, let’s go eat,” Nico grumbled, stepping over Will to descend the stairs.

Will’s next words made him completely freeze.

“Wasn’t the fridge empty yesterday?”

Nico blinked. A strange thought wormed its way into his chest, but he pushed it away. “I mean, it’s always full of things.”

He could feel Will’s sharp eyes on the back of his head. “I take it you’ve never gone grocery shopping before.”

Nico fastened his steps, not at all worried. “I’m sure it’s full now.”

“Did you go grocery shopping while I was sleeping? Because otherwise you’ll just find it–don’t close the door in my face, you know I get easily lost!”

But Will’s anger was fast over, replaced by smugness, at the sight of the empty fridge staring back at Nico.

“Guess we’ll go grocery shopping, after all,” Will said.

“But that will take time, I’m hungry now.”

“Oh my God, you are adorable.” When Nico turned to glare at Will, he found him just staring back with those eyes wide open once again. “Come on, we’ll stop somewhere to get breakfast.”

The streets were packed with people, mostly tourists. Not many bothered to give them a second glance, but that was mostly thanks to the mix of low beanies and big scarves. Nico couldn’t bring himself to look at the people on the ski tracks, it would have just been a cruel reminder.

“Where do you want to go?” Will asked him. He seemed to like the city, or so Nico secretly hoped. He didn’t like the idea of boring Will to death. “Do they even sell Swiss chocolate here?”

Nico bit back a grin. “So that can be the first time you eat Swiss chocolate so close to Switzerland?”

“That’s very funny. I’ll let you know; I’ve been in Switzerland before. So keep your smugness down, fancy boy.”

The blush on Nico’s face was to blame completely on the cold. “Did you go with your parents? In Switzerland, I mean.”

Will scoffed in delight as he watched a woman put gloves on a little girl, no more than two years old. She caught Will’s eyes, and waved her hand. He winked back at her, making her giggle. “Yeah. We went there for my bro–for a birthday. I mostly stayed inside, though. I didn’t know how to ski, nor did I want to learn.”

Nico nodded. He ignored Will’s slip, he didn’t want to force details out of him. He’d understand Will’s need to keep things to himself, they didn’t owe anything to each other, after all. He pointed to a bar on the other side of the road.

“That’s where I usually go with Hazel. They are discreet.”

“Afraid people will take photos of you eating a _croissant_?”

Will had exaggerated the French pronounce so much, Nico couldn’t help a loud snort. In the back of his mind, he noticed how Will’s eyes lit up.

Inside the bar were enough people for the place to be filled with laughter and chatters. It was hot inside, and a nice smell of freshly baked goods filled Nico’s nostrils. Something bumped into his hand, and when he looked down, he realized it was Will’s own hand. Will, who was nodding toward a free table in the corner, far from the window. Though, when they sat there, Nico realized he could see the TV, and promptly froze, because as of that moment, there was a service about them.

Will followed Nico’s gaze, looking behind his shoulder.

“What do they say?” he asked, looking back at Nico. If only Nico were better at reading people… was it guilt written in his eyes? Did he have someone back at home, were they waiting for him?

“Nothing. Nothing much, they’re just showing our first meeting back at the palace.”

Will nodded. “Do they know we’re here?”

Nico took the scarf off his face, and brushed a hand through his hair. “I don’t think so. My parents made a statement, said we were taking some time off to privately get to know each other.” He shrugged. “No one thought we’d meet quite so soon, I guess. How did they even find you?”

This time, it was Will who shrugged. “A friend of mine is a YouTuber, there’s this scene from an old vlog, we were on his camper, it was after graduation. And I was sleeping, shirtless, he caught the mark in the frame. So, that’s how they got mine, I guess. It was an old video, though. How did they see yours?”

“My cousin Percy posted some pictures of our time in the military. In one of his I was in the back, shirtless.”

“Where’s yours?” Will asked, leaning forward on the table. His voice was so very soft in that moment. “Your mark.”

Nico put his hand on his heart, then trailed up. Just under his collarbone, a little to the left.

“Mine’s there, too, but on the back.”

“When did you get it?”

“Eleven. You?”

Nico opened his mouth to respond, but he was interrupted by the waitress asking what they wanted. Nico ordered for both of them in Italian, and by the time the girl left –she couldn’t be older than Hazel– the topic of their conversation changed. The closer the marks appeared on the body, the stronger the bond. Nico didn’t want to think about it.

“I’m just saying,” Will said, sometime later, when most of the people at the other tables had left and their spots filled by others. “That there’s no better love-trope than childhood best-friends to lovers, and the Lion King failed.”

Nico groaned. “We’ve been at this for an hour, it’s not Simba’s fault–”

“Of course it isn’t, he was a child! But the writers just have them running around, and suddenly they are in love?” Will looked like he’d just swallowed a whole lemon. “What even is that? Is it witchcraft?”

“They have known each other their whole childhood!”

“We have a very different conception of whole, _darlin’_. They have known each other long enough to sing one, and I mean _one_ , song about how much Simba wanted his father to die so he could step up and take the throne–”

Nico swatted Will’s hand away from his face, his index finger had been once again waving in front of Nico’s face. “He didn’t know Mufasa would have to die!”

“That’s a hypothesis if I’ve ever heard one, and every single solution to every single issue in the American school system is a hypothesis–”

“What does that even mean, I’m–”

Will took one of the awful cookies they’d been gifted with their coffees, and stuffed it into Nico’s mouth. “Don’t interrupt me–”

Nico slumped back in the chair, a frown tugging his lips downwards. “You will never see the light of day again; I’m putting you in the fucking dungeons.”

“You dragged me to a haunted house, so that’s on you. What was I saying again?” He clasped his hands, attracting a few curious glances from the people around them. Nico sent them an apologetic look, but he couldn’t hide his amusement. “Oh, right! Simba’s sudden love. I mean, he just sees her and suddenly he’s in love? They just mistake past fondness for something more, that’s all I’m saying.”

“They have children together–”

“They are part of the same pack. There’s only one lion. They are half-siblings. And Simba takes after his father. He, too, is a whore, who sleeps with all the lionesses.”

Nico blinked, slowly. Will was unmoving, with his arms crossed on the chest, and his tongue sticking out of his left cheek.

“You–you know what? That’s all right.” Nico nodded, swallowing around a dry throat. “You are completely wrong, but I will let you have it.”

“I feel victorious.”

“You really have no reason to.”

Will’s lips turned into a white, thin, line, and he turned redder. Just as Nico started worrying that he was having an allergic reaction to something, Will fell forward on the table, his shoulders shaking as he laughed.

“We should get going, anyway,” Nico continued. “Is there anywhere you want to go?”

“I’m not the one who knows the city! What is even here to see? I saw a lake when we were arriving, are there ducks to feed?”

“You would come all the way to Europe to feed ducks?”

“I actually came here to marry you, but you do you.” Will’s eyes widened, Nico felt his own doing the same. Will coughed, drumming his fingers on the table. He didn’t look at Nico in the eyes.

“There’s actually a library down the road. You want to go there?”

Of course, Will couldn’t understand a single one of the book titles, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have fun. The Prince was bent forward, grabbing a book from what seemed like the most boring section of the library, but Will was no impartial judge.

“Is it just me or does that book seem very homoerotic?” Will asked, pointing to a book with a girl picking flowers.

The Prince stood in less than a second, flinching slightly, eyes widened. “Are you–?”

“Are you okay? Did you pull a muscle or something?” Will put a hand on the Prince’s forearm, but it was brushed off quickly. Will tried not to let it get to him, he was beginning to notice how little the Prince liked being touched.

“I’m fine. However, that’s a gardening book. Honestly, that’s a new kind of low even for you.”

Will stuck out his tongue at him. “Whatever. Are you buying that? What’s it called?”

“ _La collina dei conigli_. Uh, the title is different in English. Like…?”

“Watership down.”

Both Will and Nico turned at the new voice. A man stared back at them. Man, he probably was around their age, and his English had an accent Will couldn’t quite place.

“I couldn’t help but hear you,” he said with a sheepish smile, shrugging one shoulder. “Sorry for intruding.”

Will spared a glance to the Prince, but he was just looking back at the man, seemingly at a loss for words, and his conversation with Hazel rang loudly in his ears, from his deepest memories.

‘Should you ever feel like he’s cold, you should check the YouTube compilation _Prince Niccolò’s top 11 awkward moments_. Believe me,’ she had squeezed his forearm. ‘It’ll make you feel better.’

Now, Will turned slowly toward the Prince, with both eyebrows raised.

“Oh, it’s no problem,” he told the man. “You’re helping us, so thank you.”

The silence turned awkward real fast. Will bumped his hand into the Prince’s.

“Oh, yes. Thank you,” the Prince said.

Why was he watching the man like a deer caught in the headlights? It took Will a few moments to remember that, just a day earlier, he had been at the other end of that gaze.

“I’m Will Solace!”

“Oh, uh, Paolo Montez.”

The Prince nodded even more awkwardly. “Niccolò.”

“Niccolò…?”

“Solace,” Will supplied. He sent Nico a sickeningly sweet smile, hoping he would be forgiven when he interlaced their fingers. “He still gets shy saying it.”

Paolo’s eyes filled with understanding. “Oh, I should have realized sooner! Congratulations!”

Will’s smile widened. With a twinge of guilt, he realized that Paolo was exactly the type of guy he’d get a crush for back in high school. He cleared his throat.

“Well, we’ll just go. You know, honeymoon business,” Will said. “Nice meeting you.”

Paolo responded, but Will had already dragged the Prince outside. The cool air kissed Will’s heated skin, making him shiver. For a moment, he wished he hadn’t fled so quickly.

“Are making a thief out of me?” the Prince asked, holding the book up. Then, he glanced down at their intertwined hands. “Will you ever let me go?”

Will let him go, and crossed his arms on the chest. “I’m not going back in.”

“I see. Wouldn’t want your crush to see you so flustered, would you, _hubby_?”

With a chuckle, the Prince turned back to the library, talking to himself in Italian. Would it be strange to ask the old woman with the Chihuahua to translate for him? Sighing, Will just waited.

“I’m sorry I grabbed your hand,” Will said, once they were walking to a restaurant. It was almost midday, and the Prince had promised to bring him to the Christmas market in the afternoon. “I noticed you don’t really like being touched, but it seemed like the best idea at the moment.”

The Prince shrugged. “I’m sorry I froze up. Sometimes I’m awkward.”

“Sometimes?” Will clicked his tongue. “Because I’ve heard it happened at least _eleven_ times.”

The Prince stopped, raising the bookstore bag to his chest, his jaw opened so widely the scarf fell in his mouth. He sputtered it out, with an indignant scowl. Will felt the need to pinch his cheek, so badly his fingertips tingled.

“Did Hazel show you that?” The Prince asked. “I’m pretty sure she made it. She always brings it up.”

“I don’t know, I saw her struggling for half an hour with WhatsApp, searching for your father’s contact. She didn’t show me, though. She just told me to look it up.”

“I’ll try to be glad for that, but it’s really hard right now.”

“Oh my God, look there’s a little golden retriever! Isn’t it adorable?”

Before the Prince could stop him, Will was already halfway across the road, cooing at the puppy.

Will knelt on the ground, his hands buried deep in the puppy’s fur. The girl who held the leash looked up at Nico, a question clear in her eyes.

“Excuse him,” he said in Italian. “He gets excited easily when he sees dogs. I should probably get a leash form him, too.”

The girl laughed, but she was staring at them with eyes wide in wonder. “Are you that Prince?”

Nico’s eyes widened. Usually, children didn’t recognize him, and he was a bit rusty, to be honest. He hadn’t been under the spotlight for the past two years, he was out of shape with being recognized.

“Niccolò,” he said.

Will looked up, despite having missed the entirely of the speech. “I’m Will,” he said, beaming at the little girl. She couldn’t be older than eight.

“Emma,” she said, and when she continued in Italian, Will’s gaze turned confused, a little lost, but he didn’t drop it back to the dog. “I live there.” She pointed at one of the houses on the other side of the road.

“And where are your parents?” Nico asked.

She shrugged. “Home. I’m walking Stella.”

Nico pointed at the dog. “Stella?”

Emma nodded. Will looked up, and pointed at the dog again. “Stella?” Both Nico and the girl nodded, although Emma also giggled.

“You talk funny,” she said.

Nico translated for Will, a small grin on his face, before turning back to the girl. “It’s his accent. He comes from Texas, do you know where that is? It’s in America.”

“Why did he come here?” she asked.

“He’s my soulmate.”

“The TV said so, too! My parents are soulmates. Does he love you?”

Nico blinked, heat rose to his cheeks. “We’re getting to know each other.”

“But will he love you?”

Nico opened and closed his mouth, knowing he was gasping like a fish. Emma lowered her pink hat on her forehead, sniffling with her nose. Without a word, Will took a tissue from his pockets, and handed it to her.

“Do you parents know where you are?” Nico asked instead.

Emma nodded, and pointed toward the house again. “That’s my mom.”

Following her finger, Nico noticed a woman behind the window, with a mug in her hand, the other on her belly. She was pregnant.

Nico stood, fixing Emma’s hat on her head.

“Don’t get out of your mother’s sight. Oh, and don’t talk to strangers. Next time a stranger approaches you, let Stella bite them. Alright?”

Emma nodded. “I will!”

“See you around, then.”

“Wait! You are a prince.” She held out a gloved hand, with another giggle. “Shouldn’t you kiss my hand before going?”

Nico’s cheeks dusted in pink; Will rose from his feet beside him, still looking a little puzzled.

“You’re right,” Nico amended. “I can be a very forgetful prince.”

He bowed deeply, wondering what Emma’s mother was thinking about them. Did she think they were assaulters? He really hoped not to get followed by the police. But also, he hoped the mother didn’t trust strangers so close to her daughter.

“Will too!” She trilled, when they took a step forward.

Will, who had given her a wave and a wink, looked back at Nico. And so Nico translated.

Emma tugged Nico’s coat before letting them leave, only speaking when he bent down to hear her whispered words.

“You should make him fall in love with you.”

The hostess at the front of the restaurant brought them to the second floor, and gave them a table behind a black curtain. It took Nico probably more than socially acceptable to realize that Will wouldn’t understand a word of what was written.

“I honestly wouldn’t recognize them even if they were in English,” Will said, after Nico asked him if he needed a translation. “I’m sure you haven’t noticed, but I am, maybe, not in the same social class as princes.”

Nico shook his head. He never really knew what to respond to things like that. He had to admit that the trip was going well, at least now. They didn’t have many awkward silences, nor did they hate each other. Maybe Will hated him a bit, for everything he was taking. Sooner or later, they’d have to discuss about their bond.

“Can I ask you something?” Will suddenly asked, leaning forward on the table. “And if you say I already have, I’m going to throw a fit.”

“Well, that would be new. What’s it been?” Nico took his phone out of the pocket, checking the time. “Fifteen minutes since the last? A new record. You _must_ have beaten every other toddler in the city.”

“You are so very funny, _darlin’_.” Will smiled at him from across the table, his freckles stretched on his nose and cheeks. “It’s just that I’ve seen a lot of guards around the palace, and we were escorted to the airport, but we’re here alone. I’m not complaining, far from it, but shouldn’t you always have a bodyguard? I thought that was just something princes did.”

Nico nodded. “Yeah, but other princes don’t have the same tricks as I do.”

He looked up at Nico. Back at his hip. Nico bit his lip to not burst out laughing.

“If you have a fucking gun, I swear I’m actually calling the police. Do you think it’s normal to go around with guns?” He hissed. His face turned red. He started waving his index in the air again. “If I wanted to feel threatened whenever I stepped out of the house, or god forbid that _thing_ was actually under the same roof as me for all this time, I would have stayed in fucking Texas, with Johnny Red down the road from my house, with his cokes and the lined up bottle on the fence.”

Will breathed heavily, looking like he’d just run a marathon. He was waiting for Nico’s response, but when he received none, he passed his hands through his curly hair, messing them up even more.

“There were children downstairs! Children! And you are telling me you have a gun on you? With children in the building? God, oh my God. I know I said you were bad mannered, but that’s just terrible on a human level. Fuck.”

Nico couldn’t resist it anymore. He burst out laughing, throwing his head back, covering his mouth with his hands. He was hit by Will’s napkin, thrown right in his face.

“Don’t you dare, don’t you fucking dare!” Will exclaimed. He shook his head, crossed his arms, and leaned back in his chair. He shook his head again, making his curls bounce. “Stop laughing!”

“I don’t have a gun, Will,” Nico finally said. He took the small box from his belt, hidden by the long hoodie he was wearing. He left it on the table. “I thought they’d given you one, too. The Queen seems to think you are kind of a big deal, you know.”

Will poked at the box, a blush dusted his cheekbones. He looked at Nico through his eyelashes. “What is this thing? It–it doesn’t look like a gun.”

Of one thing, Nico was very sure: Will was far more than pretty.

“Maybe because it isn’t one. I appreciate your thoughts on gun control, though. It’s a, uh, I don’t really know how you call it in English. Safety box? Should I ever be in danger, I’ll press the little button in that box, and bodyguards and policemen will come fast. Real fast.”

“Oh my God. You’re right. They gave me one, told me it was to keep me safe, and I lost it. Oh God. How much does it even cost? I’m already bankrupt. Hell, I’m far over bankrupt. I’m so bankrupt I don’t actually own anything. I’m not even wearing my clothes! This is all yours. Oh, God.”

Nico froze, staring at the Will, who now had his head in his hands, half slumped on the chair, probably more on the floor. The waitress was coming over, Nico gestured for her to come later. How did he even comfort Will? He should have let the waitress come, and embarrass herself. Now he was going to embarrass himself. Fuck.

Nico cleared his throat. “Isn’t everyone a bit broke?”

Will looked up from his hands, furrowing his eyebrows. Then he looked down at Nico’s finger, where his black ring shone proud.

“Everyone else. Except for me. If, if you take me out of the picture, everyone is broke,” he said. “Maybe not other royals. Or movie stars. Except the ones on drug, they always become poor after a while. Many public figures actually seem rich, but they aren’t. They are middle class, at best!”

Will looked at Nico. He looked at him for a very long time. Long enough that Nico realized what he had said, and starting pulling at the collar of his sweatshirt.

“You are so clueless,” Will said, a smile tugged his lips upwards. “You are so clueless, it’s _amazing_.”

Nico blinked. “Have you ever been told you don’t know how to show gratitude?”

“Oh, you’re welcome. God, I’d pay golden –well, actually, I wouldn’t, as you now know I don’t possess any gold– but I’d really like to see you for even just a day in New York City. Like, it’s actually crazy how clueless you are.”

“It really sounds like an insult.”

Nico couldn’t find it in himself to be offended, though. Not when Will sat straighter in his chair, without hiding his face.

“I would never insult you, like you would never mock me. It’s a crazy thought, Your Highness.” He furrowed his eyebrows. “Is that how you say it?”

“No, you say it in fancy. It’s _Your Highness_.”

“You said it like I did.”

“I really didn’t.” Nico bit his lips, but he couldn’t fight off a grin. “I said _Your Highness_. You said Your Highness.”

“Your Highness.”

“ _Your Highness._ ”

“Your–you are mocking me again, aren’t you?”

Will didn’t look too annoyed when Nico bent over the table in laughter.

It was dark outside by the time they were back in the house. While the Prince tended to the fireplace, Will sat on the couch, the TV remote in his hands.

“So, I guess that’s a Smart TV, since you are the only not-broke person in the world,” Will said.

The Prince stilled, and looked at him from behind his shoulder. “What do you mean. What do you want to do.”

“I’m not Satan, stop treating me like that.” Will sighed, and took his knees up to his chest. “I just want to look into the last eleven awkward moments of your life.”

“I hate you.”

“Thanks, _darlin’_. Come here.”

Will made grabby hands at the Prince, until his hands were swatted away, though the Prince _did_ sit, albeit with his hands crossed on the chest, and a frown marrying his features.

“Should we watch this?” Will asked, selecting a video from E!News, which talked about them.

The Prince shrugged. “If you want to know what’s happening with us, then I guess we could.”

It took Will less than a second to decide that he didn’t care about it all that much. However, he froze when he saw the video under that. It had more than three million views.

_Apollo: between glory and reality. The trailer._

“You are a fan?” Nico asked, noticing where his gaze had fallen. “I met him once. He–he’s a bit full of himself, you know. He’s another one of the crazy rich people on Hearth.”

Will nodded, but his throat was completely dry. In the thumbnail of Apollo’s upcoming documentary, was a photo of his family, with a birthday cake in front of them. Without counting them, Will knew there are ten candles.

He put the remote back on the couch, and tried giving the Prince a smile.

“I forgot to–I forgot something. I’ll–I need to check it.”

Nico knocked on the bedroom door. It took Will a while to respond, long enough that Nico was sure he wouldn’t.

Will was sitting on the left side of the bed, where he had slept the night before. He had his knees up to his chest, and was hugging them tightly. Nico had thought he was calling someone, and that’s what was taking him so long, but his phone was nowhere to be seen.

“I’m ordering food,” Nico said. “What can I get for you? I don’t think there’s any Chinese restaurant around here. So…”

“Am I a bad med-student if I ask for pizza again?”

It was a strange sight. Will had looked so distressed just an hour ago, but now he was alright. All bouncy and himself again. Had Nico imagined his previous uneasiness? He was shitty at reading people and emotions, it wouldn’t be so strange. But Will was his soulmate, shouldn’t Nico understand him better than anyone else in the world? Hell, in the universe?

Nico nodded. “The worst, probably.”

“Well, then don’t snitch on me. So, can we get pizza?”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Absolutely not.”

They ate pizza in bed. The smell of cheap pizza didn’t leave the room even when they opened the windows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think of this chapter in a comment!


	3. 20th of December

Nico would have liked to complain. He would have like to complain very much, because if the universe were a fair place, he wouldn’t have been given a soulmate that kept waking him up in the middle of the night. And every time, he did it with a stupid excuse.

“For the last time, we are not being robbed,” Nico said, keeping his voice down. Earlier, when he had tried to talk normally, Will pinched him so hard Nico could feel it bruising. “If you have insomnia, go see a fucking therapist.”

And with that, he turned on his back. The hand Will had placed on his shoulder tightened its grasp. Will was close enough for his body heat to warm Nico, and it would be a lie to say it was unpleasant.

“I’m serious,” Will hissed. “the doorbell rang and the door opened. I heard it, fuck I–where is the safety box?”

“Rang the doorbell.” He scoffed. “What nice thieves.” Nico hugged the pillow, he was so close to falling back asleep, his bones were relaxing. Even his knee wasn’t being a bitch, it was–

A loud crash resonated from downstairs. In a second, Nico was completely awake.

“Oh my God, we will die–”

Nico turned quickly, and put his hand on Will’s mouth. “Shut up. We are not being robbed. That’s–that’s–”

Will liked Nico’s palm, until he retreated his hand with disgust, and cleaned it on the blankets. “If you are about to tell me a fucking raccoon rang the doorbell, I’m throwing–”

“Who said anything about raccoon? But why would thieves ring the bell? In what world?”

“In this world! Those are clever thieves, you fool! They wanted to know if we were in the house, so they could get in.”

“Oh, silly me then.” Nico pushed the duvet back, standing to search for a torch.

Will got out of the bed with far more noise. “Where are you going? What do you think you’re–tell me that’s not a fucking torch. You–I don’t even have enough words to describe you.”

“I’m going downstairs and checking. Go back to sleep.”

“Don’t you dare leaving me here alone!” Will exclaimed, and promptly slapped his hand on his mouth, as though that were enough to take the noise back. “Don’t you dare abandon me.”

Nico exhaled through gritted teeth. It was incredible how easily Will could get under his skin and irk him, really. “I’m going downstairs.”

“ _Please_ don’t leave me here.”

Here it came again. Will’s little, soft, whispered _please_ s would follow Nico forever, he was sure of it. A haunted house, Will had called the chalet, except the ghosts would only follow Nico.

Nico put his hand against the doorframe. If he looked back, he knew he would crack. There was just something in Will’s blue eyes, especially in the night, when the only thing he could look at without being afraid was Nico.

Will’s hand sneaked around Nico’s wrist. “I’m coming with you.”

Nico wasn’t good at making friends. Too closed off, couldn’t bring himself to speak more than two words at a time with people he didn’t know. Will wasn’t like that. It was Will who initiated their first conversation, who filled the silences in the house. He decided what to do in the afternoon, dragging Nico along even when he complained.

When Nico turned, Will was just behind him. “Stay behind me, and be silent.”

He didn’t wait for Will to nod. The door of the bedroom creaked far too loudly, but Nico managed to avoid the oldest boards of the floor. Will seemed to get the point, and followed in Nico’s footsteps, never letting go of his wrist.

Someone was in the kitchen. The light was on, flooding in the corridor from the door, left slightly ajar.

Nico turned to Will, and put a finger to his lips. Will stepped closer, until his chest was flush against Nico’s back, and nodded slightly. He seemed to hide behind Nico’s back, his breath warm on Nico’s neck. Did he hear the crazy thumping of Nico’s heart?

Nico pushed the kitchen door open a bit more. Just a little, less than a centimeter. There was a man by the fridge, his back to Nico. His head was blonde, his shoulders broad, and Nico could have sworn he knew him. He turned to the stoves, Nico caught his profile. What was _he_ doing here? And if he was here, then the other idiot wouldn’t be far.

It happened so fast. The blond boy caught sight of Nico, a smile lightened up his face, he began walking, no doubt to crush Nico into a hug, and–

“Neeks!”

Whenever they saw each other, they had this little charade going on. It was true that Nico and Percy were friends, really close friends, but it was even more true to say that they butt heads every time talked. They had simply known each other for far too long.

Jason got along with Nico better, as different as they were. He was just more understanding, calmer, less loud–unless Leo was with him, that is. He also asked before crushing people into his arms.

Percy, however, didn’t ask.

The scene played out in slow motion. Jason’s smile, the door of the cellar opening, Percy’s cry of Nico’s name, Will’s squeal.

Will throwing Nico forward, the door opening under his weight, Nico falling on his butt, Will throwing a punch directed at Percy face.

And completely hitting the spot, Nico was amazed. Percy bent forward, his hands cupping his nose, as he swore loudly. The door of the living room opened, Annabeth and Leo walked out. Leo dropped the remote of the TV when Percy straightened, and fresh blood glowed under the light.

“Hi,” he said, holding out his bloodied hand to Will. “I’m Percy.”

Nico saw the dumbfounded expression on Will’s face, the way he kept glancing from his knuckles to Percy and back. It lasted just a tad too long for his liking. “Not a thief,” he said, standing and dusting off his pajama pants.

Will’s tongue poked his cheek, he looked so embarrassed Nico could have burst out laughing. He bit his lips, and kept it all inside.

Nico leaned against the doorframe, he felt Jason coming closer. “So, it looks like I was right and you were wrong.”

“Oh, shut up,” Will replied, crossing his arms on the chest.

“I’d like to say he’s just cranky in the morning, but he always is,” Nico said, turning to the others, who were watching their bickering like one would watch a tennis match.

“Just get me the First Aid kit so I can fix his nose.”

“Get it yourself.”

“I don’t even know where the toilet is.”

“It’s in the same place as every other day–”

“Stop being an asshole for two seconds and get me the damn kit.”

Nico groaned loudly as he walked to the toilet.

Will was usually great with first impressions. Kayla said it had to do with his smile, Austin thought it was the freckles. Jerry said it was the curls. Their grandmother liked to think it was his manners.

If she saw him as he carefully cleaned Percy’s nose –Prince Percy, second born of King Hades’ younger brother– she would have hit his head with a wooden spoon. Luckily, she was still in Texas.

“If it makes you feel better,” Percy said, his feet hanging a few inches from the kitchen ground as he sat on the stove, “it was a really good hit.”

“I wouldn’t know about that,” the Prince commented around a mouthful of chips, which he’d taken from Jason’s backpack. “The nose didn’t break.”

“Maybe I can try again on you, see how your nose gets out,” Will suggested, sending the Prince a wink.

The Prince chose to ignore him, and talked to his cousins. “Anyway, you got what you deserve for coming in unannounced.”

“We weren’t,” Piper said. “We told Persephone. She told us to bring sleeping bags.”

The Prince shook his head. “I can’t believe her sometimes.”

“Hazel did say something about her taking all the beds out,” Annabeth said. Or at least Will thought she was Annabeth, he honestly wasn’t sure. He was still a bit shaken. “Persephone, I mean. It took her a lot of effort to arrange it.”

“She could have at least ordered food,” the Prince muttered. “We have none.”

“Have you ever thought about grocery shopping?” Leo asked.

The Prince rolled his eyes. Will responded in his stance. “We wanted to, but then we forgot. He didn’t actually know people needed to go grocery shopping themselves, we woke up and he said the fridge would be full again.”

Nico sighed. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but his cheeks seemed red. “That’s not even true.”

“Yes, it is. You ran to the kitchen, saw the fridge was empty and whined. I told you–”

“I absolutely did not whine.”

“Yes, you did, and don’t interrupt me. So, I told you we could get something at a bar, and you responded ‘but I’m hungry now’. Don’t you dare come at me and say you don’t whine.”

“Shut up, at least I don’t have a crush on the bookstore boy.”

“I don’t have a crush on him, I merely noticed his arm muscles.”

“You drooled when you saw him.”

“I literally told him you were my husband.”

“Maybe you were hoping he had a cheating kink. Who knows what’s going on in your Texan head.”

“That’s not even a kink, and don’t attack my birthplace.”

“Shut up, you’ve been complaining about Italy since we got here.”

“That’s not even true.”

“Insulting my native country every chance you get.”

“Wait, don’t you come from that island?”

“What do you mean I don’t come from _that_ island? Don’t you even know that I was born in Italy? That’s a new low, even for you.”

“Where was I born, then?”

“Texas.”

“I really wasn’t.”

“What do you mean you weren’t? You’ve been on my case about Texas, every three steps you see something that reminds you of Texas. You talked about your childhood in Texas, with old Johnny and his drinks–”

“Cokes, they were cokes.”

“–oh, sorry, his cokes. You talked about all of that and you weren’t even born there? That’s cheating, William.”

Will turned back to Percy, a small smile on his lips as he adjusted the pink band aid on his nose. “I really can’t wait to see his face when he discovers my name isn’t even _William_.”

“What the–Will don’t you dare walking away now!”

“It was nice meeting you all, and sorry again for your nose!”

“No problem!”

“ _Will_!”

There was a girl on the stairs, and Will knew her far too well. Her hair was still the same as last time they’d seen each other, as though she had come straight out of his memories. It had been years.

Will stopped on his tracks, as did she. Her hand, which had been covering her mouth in a yawn, fell limp to her side.

“I wasn’t sure it was you,” Piper said.

Up closer, it was clear that she had grown. They met mid-stairs, both of them covering halfway of the distance. Would she tell the Prince? She–she wouldn’t. Or maybe yes. Maybe she would.

“He doesn’t know about my parents,” Wil whispered.

Piper’s eyes widened. “You haven’t told him anything.”

“I’ve known him for two days.”

“He’s your soulmate.”

Will side-stepped Piper, but her hand caught his wrist in an iron-like grasp. They hadn’t seen each other in so long, so why was she here? She had to be friends with the Prince. Will wished they had been left alone, and no one had come looking for them.

“Your opinion on that hasn’t changed, I guess,” Piper said. She took a step back, as though it was her that had been wounded by the words. Maybe she was. She had been awfully empathetic when they were younger, crying whenever one of the boys fell and scratched his knees. “You should tell him that.”

“I will.” Will raked a hand through his hair, finding them even more knotted than when he’d gone to sleep. “I just need time.”

Piper nodded, and looked around them, making sure they were alone. “Have you heard from your mom recently?”

Will shook his head. “I don’t have my phone with me, so that’s a no.”

“Don’t hate me for what I’m about to say, then.” She leaned forward, until her lips were just a few centimeters away from Will’s ear. “She’s getting married.”

“I sure as hell hope it’s not to Apollo.”

Piper snorted. “Not him.”

“Is it public already?” Will asked. “I suppose it’s new, since I haven’t heard it when I was in New York.” He shrugged. “Never paid for international traffic, so I guess I’m a bit out of the loop.”

Piper shook her head. “You’re always the same. And no, it isn’t public yet. I just heard Naomi telling my father. She also said she had called your grandmother, and she–”

“Piper! I see you met Will! Have you told her you punched Percy?”

Will turned, to see Leo coming up the stairs. He didn’t look like he’d heard anything, Will just hoped Piper had never told him anything about him. Why would she, anyway? They had been friends years earlier.

“Not yet,” Will said.

“Well, can’t say I’ve never thought about punching him myself,” Piper said.

Leo laughed. He looked at Piper like she was an angel sent by the heavens, his eyes full of adoration. They had to be very close. Close to the Prince as well, seeing how he’d joked with them in the kitchen.

“I’ll tell you everything about how it happened.” Leo grabbed Piper’s hand and tugged her forward, and put his arm around her shoulder when they walked side by side. “There was so much blood, Piper, so much blood. Percy’s nose was broken in several parts–”

“That’s not true at all!” Will shouted after them.

He didn’t sleep that night. When the Prince came to bed, Will closed his eyes and didn’t move. Not even when a warm finger touched the mole under his left eye. It took everything in him not to grab that hand, and cradle it to his chest. He couldn’t help the disappointment when the finger retreated.

Annabeth, Piper and Leo would take Will to breakfast, or so they said, before shoving Nico out of the house, right into those two idiots that were his cousins. They were holding his coat, scarf and beanie. Actually, the scarf was the blue one Will usually wore.

“We’re going grocery shopping,” Percy said, putting his arm around Nico’s shoulder. Nico shrugged it off. “I’ve been told you’ve never gone.”

Nico grunted. He should have gone with Will for the first time, not with them. Would Will be disappointed? Probably not, yet Nico still worried. “Have _you_ ever gone?”

“We don’t live with our fathers, of course we have,” Percy said.

“So, why don’t you tell us about Will?” Jason asked. “You two seem to get along pretty well.”

“He gets on my nerves so much, we are literally constantly fighting.”

“So were Annabeth and I when we first met,” Percy said, with that stupidly dreamy smile he always got when he thought of her.

Just a year earlier, hearing those words from Percy would have burnt a hole in his chest. Now he simply rolled his eyes. “You were eleven. Will is a fully grown adult.”

“Annabeth and Percy still spend half their time bickering, though,” Jason said. He grimaced. “By the way, remind me to never, ever take a flight with them again. Worst eleven hours of my life.”

“Maybe if you’d bother telling me before visiting, I would.”

Percy cooed, poking Nico’s cheek. Nico swatted his hand away, but the smug grin didn’t fade. “Don’t be so bitter.”

“How long are you even staying?” Nico asked.

“We’re leaving tomorrow night,” Jason said. “We are actually on our way to the palace. Your–the Queen, she wanted updates on how you two are getting along.”

“Why diving us, then?” Nico asked, hitting a rock with his foot. It went rolling down the street. “Wouldn’t you have had more to pry, if you’d kept us together?”

“Because we aren’t fucking spies,” Percy replied. His cheeks were red, maybe the cold wasn’t the only thing to blame. “So don’t treat us as such.”

“What the hell should I treat you as, then?”

“Like your friends, which we are, by the way. Which we’ve been, even though you don’t bother to pick up the phone, even though you–”

“Guys!” Jason exclaimed, always the pacifier, always the one to break them apart before they could go for each other’s throat. “Let’s try not to let anger get the best of us, mh? What Percy meant, was that we have no intention of reporting anything back to Persephone. We are simply here to see how you’re doing, since it’s been months since the last time we were all together.”

Percy snorted, looking at the hand Jason had put on Nico’s shoulder. “You never let me do _that_.”

“Because you fucking stink.”

Percy threw a snowball right in Nico’s face. Somewhere in the background, Jason sighed, already kneeling to the ground to make a bigger snowball.

“So, tell us about yourself,” Annabeth said, once they were all sitting in a coffee shop. “What you do, what you like. What you think of _Nico_.”

“ _Ay, charla caliente_ ,” Leo commented. “Spill the tea, Will.”

Will wetted his lips. Which topic was less dangerous? “Well, he’s nice? No, actually, he’s almost never nice. But he’s endearing.”

“Endearing?” Piper repeated.

“Yeah. The way he does things. Like, if you want him to do something, it’s a real battle. The first day we were here, I wanted a tour of the house, because I didn’t know where anything was, obviously, and he complained about having to do it for more than an hour. He complained while doing it, too. Then he did it four times.”

Piper laughed. “Typical Nico.”

“And he really is clueless. I laugh about it, but sometimes it’s almost scary. He thought fridges filled themselves. How has he survived so long?”

“By being filthy rich,” Leo supplied, around a mouthful of chocolate croissant. Annabeth eyed the crumbles he spat with disgust.

“And where do you stand with each other? Have you talked about the bond?” Annabeth asked.

Will shook his head. “Not yet.”

“Maybe you should,” Piper said. “It could help. Knowing where you are with each other.”

“It surely would have helped Percy and me,” Annabeth said, running the tip of her finger on the rim of her cup. Her gray eyes met Will’s, and he found himself unable to look away. “We discovered we were soulmates after years of knowing each other, and being friends.”

“I’m assuming it went well? Since I saw you two making out in the kitchen an hour ago,” Will said.

Annabeth’s cheeks turned pink, Piper made a choking sound as she tried to control her laughter. Leo had no such qualms, slapping his thigh as he loudly laughed.

“Yeah, it did,” she said. “But it got worse before it got better. We’d had crush on each other for years, but he was also involved with this other girl. Since we both the other had a mark, though we’d kept them covered, we didn’t want to risk our friendship. What if we were together for a year, then one of us found the soulmate? What would it mean for us?”

“And don’t forget Rachel,” Leo said.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “Thank you, Leo. Really helpful.”

“They are friends now,” Piper reprimanded him, leaning forward on the table to tuck a dark curl behind Leo’s ear. “Don’t put them up against each other.”

“I just like the story! I want to hear it all!”

Annabeth sighed. “Rachel and Percy went out on a few dates. Rachel didn’t hide her mark, so I assumed that it was the same as Percy’s.”

“Spoiler alert, it wasn’t,” came Leo’s comment.

“Eat this and shut up,” Annabeth said, giving him the rest of her apple cake. Leo happily complied. “But it wasn’t. Rachel asked Percy to show her his mark, then told him to get his head out of his ass and stop leading her on, when his heart already belonged to someone else.”

“There’s a but coming,” Leo mouthed at Will. Will bit his lip to stop a smile.

“But when Percy told me things were off with Rachel, and showed me his mark, I told him that I had no intention of being his second choice, just because Rachel didn’t want him.”

“ _Severo_ ,” Leo said.

“So, Percy spent the summer trying to get Annabeth to believe him,” Piper said.

“And he did,” Annabeth admitted, raising her hand to show off an engagement ring. “Six years and still going strong. I showed him my mark. So he knew I was his soulmate.”

Will smiled, congratulated them, asked about the wedding preparation. In reality, he didn’t understand what that story had to do with Will and Nico. That was how people were supposed to find their soulmate, by being friends first. Not like Will and Nico, who had been thrown into that.

“Nico is a good guy,” Piper said, later that day, while she and Will helped Leo prepare lunch. Leo had gone to the toilet, but they still spoke in hushed tones. “I hope you know that. And so are you.”

“Thanks.”

“I’m not going to tell you that if you hurt him I’m going to beat you up or some shit like that, mostly because I know Percy and Jason will tell you this. I’m just _asking_ you not to hurt him.”

“It’s really not my intention.”

“Then maybe you should tell him you only want to be friends. Or maybe not even that, if you don’t.”

“It’s not like he’s in love with me.”

“Yeah, but I know what you think about soulmates. I know it must be hard for you now.”

“It could have happened better,” Will admitted.

“I know they saw your mark from a video. Was it one of Drew’s?”

Ah, Drew Tanaka, Piper’s half-sister. And also one of Will’s friends back in New York. She was a handful, to be honest, but she also loved with a fierceness Will had never seen in anyone else.

“Connor Stoll’s. Maybe you know him? He makes prank videos with his brother, mostly.”

Piper hummed. “Wait, didn’t he make Drew’s makeup at some point? In a collaboration video.”

Will chuckled. “Does Drew know you watch her videos? Maybe I should tell her. I’m sure she’d be delighted.”

“Don’t you fucking dare, Solace.” Piper pointed the knife she was using to cut onions at Will, which only made him laugh.

Drew and Piper’s rivalry was an evergreen of amusing factors in his life.

“How are things between the two of you, anyway?” Piper asked, teasingly. “Both over it?”

“We were both over it years ago,” Will replied. “What Drew’s not over, though, is my sister.”

“Kayla?”

“God, you have no idea. They are practically pining after each other in the most absurd way possible. Poor Austin has to stand it all on his own now, honestly.”

“Oh my God, are you for real? Drew and _Kayla?_ I never even thought about it.”

“Yeah, heteronormativity does that to you. I think it started about a year ago? If you want to see it, you can find it on Drew’s channel, there’s a video of her doing Kayla’s hair green. Poor editor took out like thirty minutes of them just staring into each other’s eyes.”

Piper chuckled. But, when she turned to Will, her expression was serious again. “Could they be, you know, soulmates?”

Will shrugged. “They know I’m not a big fan of the topic, so they don’t talk to me about it.”

Piper nodded. “God, I can’t wait to tell Mitchell about it. Drew whipped for someone is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“Rude. She was _more_ than whipped for me, I’ll let you know.”

“Is it weird? Seeing them together, I mean.”

“I’m just joking, Pips. I care about Drew, I care about her a lot. I love her, but I’m not _in_ love with her. I’ve seen her turning Kayla’s days upside down. Just seeing her makes Kayla so happy, even when she’s feeling shitty. But when we were together… we really were children, you know? We got together when we were fourteen. I loved her, but I’m not the same, and neither is she.”

“It’s insane how you’ve stayed friends even after being through so much together.”

“I had absolutely no say in it. She’s always been my best friend, y’know? Even though I absolutely can’t stand her a times. I’m glad Kayla’s got her love. I just –honestly I just hope she treats Drew better than I did.”

“You two were good for each other.”

Will’s eyes burnt. “I shut her out. She never talks about it, but I think it really hurt her.”

“You said it yourself. You were little more than children.”

“I know, but I should’ve handled it better.”

That was Piper was afraid of, Will knew. Will hurting Nico like he’d hurt Drew. His hands were shaking, he closed them in fists.

“It was years ago,” Piper said, rubbing her hand on Will’s shoulder blade. “It’s okay now. Antagonizing yourself over it won’t make it better.”

“I know.”

“Remember it, then. You’re a good person, Will. Don’t forget it.”

Before they could continue, the kitchen door opened, and Leo didn’t come alone. The Prince’s cousins were with him, which meant that, somewhere in the house, was the Prince.

Will let himself fall from the couch, crawling toward Nico, raising to his knees once he’d reached him. “What are you looking at?”

They were alone once again. Jason, Piper and Leo had gone out, while Annabeth and Percy napped upstairs.

Nico turned, so that he was resting on his stomach, and Will could see his phone. “Did you know Piper was reporting our conversations on her Instagram Stories?”

Will shook his head. “But at least now the world know what a grumpy meanie you are.”

“Oh, fuck off. Explain this to me, if I’m the grumpy one.” He turned back several stories, until he’d reached one written in blue. Piper hadn’t written their names, only X and Y.

_X: I’m taller than you, stop being a kid and admit it._

_Y: Sure. Keep telling yourself that, pal._

_X: I’m looking down at you right now. See my eyes? They’re looking down at you._

_Y: That’s because you’re arrogant,_ shortie.

Will covered his face with his hands. “God. Everyone is going to know I’m the mean one.”

Nico laughed. “Because you’re shorter? Finally you see it.”

“Wait, does that mean you have Instagram?”

“I don’t live in the Middle Ages, so…”

“Oh my God, show me your posts.”

“I don’t post things myself.”

“I still want to see.”

“Well, you’re about to be disappointed.”

“ _Pretty please_.”

Nico groaned. He couldn’t believe Will, honestly. What did he think, that Nico would just give in every time his eyes turned into puppy mood? He was about to have a rude awakening.

But then Nico did the mistake of turning, just to tell Will _no_ while looking right into the puppy eyes. And ended up handing Will his phone.

He couldn’t believe himself.

“Scoot over, _punk_ ,” Will ordered, and Nico couldn’t do anything but sit, so that Will could get between him and the armrest.

As always, Will’s body heat surprised Nico. Will curled his knees to his chest, and with a smile he scrolled through Nico’s posts. Nico let his arm fall limp behind the back of the sofa. His first instinct had been to put it on Will’s shoulder.

“You have a shit-tone of followers. Wait, are you actually wearing something colorful in this one? This comment section is scary. People always manage to scare me. Is this young you? You were so soft. God, this girl looks a lot like you.”

And Will went to the tagged profile, before Nico could stop him. Nico barely had time to blink, and Bianca’s profile was looking back at him. In the bio was written the year she was born in, and the one she had died in. The last phone posted, was of her grave.

And Will wasn’t stupid. He wasn’t stupid, and he had connected the dots. He looked up at Nico, and he was absolutely crestfallen. Nico’s breath was knocked out of him.

He didn’t take his phone back. He just got up, and walked away, barely grabbing his coat as he left. Maybe Will called after him, or maybe he didn’t. Either way, Nico didn’t hear anything but the ringing in his ears.

The cold air was biting Will’s reddened cheeks when he finally found the Prince.

The Prince was sitting on a bench, looking utterly out of it. Will couldn’t have found the way back on his own even if he tried. He wasn’t even sure where he was, just that there was no one around, and the sun was setting.

The Prince looked at Will, his face reddened by the cold. And he called Will’s name in a breath, surprise flooding on his features.

“ _Will_. Will, have you been crying?”

And Will couldn’t stop the half-sob that escaped his lips. He sat next to the Prince, half freezing without a coat on, and curled on himself.

“Don’t go away like that again,” he said. His voice trembled far less than he thought it would. “I was sick with worry.”

“I’m sorry.”

Will shook his head. “Don’t be. Just promise me you won’t do that again.”

“I won’t.” Will raised his eyes from the ground, arching his eyebrows. The Prince let out a sigh. “I promise I won’t.”

Will nodded. “Okay.”

“You’ll freeze to death, fuck.” Without waiting for an answer, the Prince took off his coat, and put it around Will’s shoulders. “Will. Why were you so worried?”

Ah. There was something about the way the Prince said his name. Like it was important, like it held all the answers, but he was too afraid to see them. He said it like it was a prayer, the only thing left to save him.

“Last time I couldn’t find someone, when I did it was too late,” Will revealed. He wasn’t good with vulnerability. He blamed it on being an older brother, and a man. He was always told he should be strong, never cry, never complain. If he wanted something, he had to go take it.

He knew it was bullshit. Still, he had never felt so naked in front of the Prince.

“I know the feeling,” the Prince said. His voice was little more than a whisper.

Will turned to look at him. Really look at him. Over the past days, the dark circles under his eyes had almost completely faded. Will already knew that he was beautiful, but something in his gaze that day made him even more so.

“With your sister?” Will asked. It was a stupid thing to ask. It was stupid, and he was stupid, and the Prince was going to hate him forever. Worse still, _Nico_ was going to hate him forever.

“Yeah. She–she was my older sister. Princess Bianca di Angelo. She was older, so Crown Princess. She got into an accident near a military base.”

“You don’t have to talk about her if you don’t want to.”

“It’s okay. It’s not a secret, you know? Just, not something I usually talk about.”

“Yeah.” Will breathed in deep, until his lungs hurt. “I know.”

“The person you lost?”

Nico’s questions so often sounded like he wasn’t asking at all. Like he already knew everything. Will closed his eyes, but it didn’t make them burn any less.

“My older brothers.”

“The world really sucks, doesn’t it?”

A wet laugh went past Will’s lips. “It really does.”

Under his clothes, Will’s mark felt hot.

Just when Nico thought he would freeze, his mark warmed.

“What do you want out of this?” Will asked. “What do you expect from me?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it.”

“I don’t think I’m ready for a relationship.”

Niccolò sighed. “Me neither.”

“I like spending time with you, though. Can–can we be friends?”

“Of course we can.”

To be honest, Nico can’t imagine anything less with Will. It’s scary, how easily people can get you to care for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Let me know your opinion on this chapter in the comments


	4. 21st of December

“Do you not like my friends?”

Will almost jumped out of his skin. He turned. Niccolò was standing just a couple of feet from him, with his hands in his pockets, and a scowl on his face. He was wearing Will’s–it was actually Niccolò’s, but Will had always worn it–scarf, and a black beanie.

Will’s lips tightened. What could he say? He did like them. They were fun to be around, and had a great sense of humor. Plus, seeing them tease Niccolò was entertaining.

“It’s not that,” Will settled for. “It’s–I don’t know.”

“You do know,” Niccolò said. “Just–nothing. We should go. Seen anything you like?”

Will shook his head. They were looking for a Christmas tree, apparently they would be shooting a little video for a Royal Family thing. When Niccolò was explaining it, Will was too busy being scared to death to listen thoroughly.

“Wait!” Will called, when Niccolò was already at the end of that tree aisles. Niccolò looked back at him with a frown, which had Will’s fingertips tickle with the need to smooth it out. “Can we get hot chocolate before we head out?”

Niccolò rolled his eyes. He didn’t say no.

“What do you mean presents?” Niccolò asked, his face turning into an even more prominent scowl. “We don’t need to get each other gifts.”

“I’m not spending money for this dumbass,” Will said, taking the cup from Niccolò’s hands to take a sip. He was immediately kicked in the shin by Niccolò, but the biggest punishment was the taste of that thing inside. “Is this death? Am I _tasting_ death?”

“It’s coffee, you genius,” Niccolò said, taking the mug back. “Sorry I’m an adult and don’t put milk in it.”

Will just grimaced. “I see why you’re so bitter. You’re poisoning yourself.”

Niccolò opened his mouth, but Piper interrupted them before he could talk, hitting the wooden table. She sighed, exasperation clear on her face. As clear as the fact that the gifts exchanging wasn’t her and Annabeth’s idea, probably Persephone’s. Maybe even Hazel’s.

“What Annabeth and I are trying to say, is that it’s only normal you two exchange gifts. You will spend Christmas together, won’t you?”

Will turned to Niccolò. “My time and company are going to be your present.”

“Hope you kept the receipt.”

Annabeth rubbed her temples. “ _Guys_.”

“Honestly, if you want us to have gifts so much, you should just buy them for us,” Niccolò said, looking smug in his chair. “Then we’ll give them to each other. We’d be even more surprised!”

Will sighed. “Don’t be rude, you ass. I honestly haven’t even changed my money to euros.” He grimaced. “I guess I’ve been kind of leeching off of you.”

Niccolò shrugged. “It’s my fault you’re here in the first place.”

Annabeth clasped her hands together. “Then what’s better than using the Royal Family’s money to buy each other gifts?”

“Not buying each other gifts,” Niccolò said.

“Donating the money to charity.”

Niccolò nodded, very vaguely waving his hand toward Will. “Yeah, that, too.”

“I honestly don’t even know what I could buy you,” Will said, putting his elbow on the table and his chin on his fist. “What could you possibly want? You’re already rich.”

“I’d like McDonald’s. I haven’t had it in so long.”

“We can arrange that.”

“I’m not sure there are any McDonald’s around.”

Will grimaced. “Isn’t this city a nightmare?”

“I’m not even replying to that,” Annabeth said. “C’mon guys. You’ll have to put something on social network sooner or later, it could be the two of you opening gifts. People want to see you.”

“People can see me on Google Image,” Niccolò replied. “Seriously. It’s none of their business what we’re doing.”

“You are a public figure, Nico.”

“Also,” Piper continued. “As you know there’s always been speculation about your sexuality. People are wondering whether you and this soulmate of yours will be lovers or platonic.”

“And I’m sure they’d love it,” Niccolò said.

Will couldn’t help a grimace. Up until a few decades back, courtship between two soulmates of the same sex wasn’t accepted. Will hadn’t even thought it would be an option for them. Niccolò was a prince, didn’t he need to have heirs or something?

Fuck. It only made things more complicated. Will knew himself, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop wondering, if there was even a sliver of hope for the two of them. He buried that hope thinking about his parents.

“I’m sure they’d love to see me with a boy, wouldn’t they.”

Will’s eyes snapped back up at Niccolò, and it hit him like a bucket of cold water. He had forgotten how cold the other’s face could turn. How his voice could become blank. How distant he became.

“They’d love to see me bonding with a _man_ , wouldn’t they?” Niccolò asked, as if he the words were clawing out of his throat.

 _I’m bisexual!_ Will wanted to scream. _I’m bisexual so stop saying shit like that, like it’s disgusting._ He wanted to say it, instead he just pushed the chair back, and stood. What was he expecting from someone who had lived his whole life in a palace? It was only a given that Niccolò would be homophobic. In times like this, Will’s life reminded him of a staged joke.

“It’s just gifts,” he said. His voice was steadier than he thought it would be. “Let’s just take a scarf each and be done with it.”

“It would be different. You’d be soulmates,” he heard Piper say, but he was already leaving the room. He could feel eyes boring holes in his back.

Before letting them use the sleigh, Piper took at least a hundred photo. Most of them had either Nico or Will with an indignant expression on their face, as the other talked passionately. Ten minutes later, and Nico couldn’t remember what they had been bickering about.

He was half hunched over his sleigh, the cold wind in his face, on the path ahead he could see both Will and the instructor. He could see them, when his eyes weren’t forced closed by the pain in his knee.

“This is the best thing I’ve ever done,” Will said later, when they were sitting on the panoramic spot, feet dangling over the edge. A smile was spitting his face open, darkness had already began falling. He was dressed in a bright orange suit, so that the instructor wouldn’t lose him on the track. Nico had little to laugh about, since he himself was in green. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

Nico managed a grimace. The huskies were panting, just a few meters away. The instructor had disappeared back into the hotel, soon Will and Nico would have to get going.

“Kayla would have loved this,” Will said, his voice softer.

Nico knew those eyes. They were the same he had in every photo with Bianca and Hazel, that love struck gaze brothers wore only when they were talking of a sister. So Nico asked about it, heart hammering in his chest. “Your sister?”

Will nodded. He never talked about his family, or at least not with Nico. He should have been a fool not to notice the strange atmosphere and gazes exchanged between Will and Piper. A part of him wondered if Will was falling for Piper. He wouldn’t be the first to do so.

“Yeah, the oldest. Kayla Knowles.” He shrugged, and took a deep breath. “Don’t you think it’s crazy, how we’ve lived alone for days, yet not talked about anything of our lives? Do we–do we actually know each other?”

Nico tightened his lips. It was not the time to talk about the mess they’d made, pain shot through his knee. “I don’t think we do.”

Will nodded. “Yeah. I thought so.”

For a moment, less than a second, Nico wished Will had fought him. He put his hands under his thighs, to avoid doing stupid things, like poking the mole under Will’s left eye, and bicker like only they did.

“This is the part where you start telling me things about yourself,” Will said. He put his chin on his bent knee, giving Nico a sidelong glance.

“Oh. Uh. Elysium. That’s my kingdom’s name. Ancient Greeks believed it was part of the Underworld, for a time. Black flowers grew on the shorelines, and it was so hard to reach them. Too many storms. I thought it was Elysium too, when I was little.”

“Isn’t your father also called Hades?”

Nico grinned. “Grandfather thought he was so funny, when he chose his sons’ names.” He cleared his throat, embarrassment darkening his cheeks even more when silence stretched. “Isn’t it your turn now?”

Nico thought Will mock him, at least a little. ‘Maybe I should tell you the story behind Texas’. Will didn’t, as if he understood how personal Elysium was to Nico, what a great thing it was to admit that, for a time, he’d been foolish enough to want the throne.

Will took a deep breath, his knuckles turned white where he was holding the railing. “I have eight siblings. Lee, Michael, Austin, Kayla, Jerry, Gracie, Yan and Victoria. Lee and Michael were older than me. Now I’m the oldest.” He sniffled, bringing his gloved hand to his nose. “When they–we didn’t live together. We saw each other during holidays, birthdays sometimes. The first year after Michael and Lee died, I didn’t know how to be the oldest. It’s different, you know? I always had them, and they were before me. If the youngers needed something, something clever, they went to them. I couldn’t bring myself to see the others, after the two of them died. I didn’t–I didn’t have anyone to go to.”

The breath was knocked out of Nico’s lungs.

Will chuckled. “I guess I overshared a bit. Sorry.”

“You didn’t,” Nico blurted, so fast Will whipped his head around. He cleared his throat, spoke with far more calm. “You didn’t overshare.”

“You sound pretty put out.”

“I was just thinking about what I wanted people to tell me, after I lost Bianca.” He tasted bitterness on his tongue, so heavy it laced through his words. “I can’t remember.”

“I don’t want you to tell me anything.”

“Yeah. Neither did I.”

Will put his head on Nico’s shoulder. His hat was cold, a bit wet with snow, his breath warm, even through all the layers. Nico leaned against him.

The others were waiting for them inside the hotel. Piper and Leo had managed to convince Jason to stay one more night, to sleep in an igloo room together. Nico had half a mind they would try seducing him. Percy and Annabeth would go to Paris, Annabeth wanted to see Notre Dame. She had never seen it in person. Nico recommended her to see the Dome of Sacré Coeur Basilica first.

“You were talking about Paris?” Will asked, sliding down next to Nico with a cup of hot chocolate in his hands.

Nico ignored that it’d been a gift from the instructor. Only for Will. With Nico standing right next to them. It seemed impossible for Will to go anywhere without having someone fall for him. It had to be the curls. Or the freckles. Maybe the eyes, always so bright and beautiful.

Nico shook his head, to get himself out of the trance.

“-there a couple of times, with my family,” Will admitted, nodding his head. He took the cup to his mouth, and grimaced at the first sip.

“Did the _Hot Instructor_ poison you?” Nico asked. He knew it wasn’t possible, but at least then they’d have a good reason to send him to jail. Or at least never seen him again. He wasn’t so petty after all.

Will huffed. “It’s too hot.” A glint lit his eyes, as he looked at Nico through a thick layer of eyelashes. “Just like the instructor.”

Nico scoffed, crossing his arms. “Yeah, if you’re into bulky men that spend their days riding towards the sunset with huskies.”

Percy snorted. “Who isn’t into that?”

Nico bit his cheek. Annabeth caught his eyes, cocking an eyebrow. Nico sunk lower into his chair, tightening his grasp on the cup holder. Nico didn’t need to look at Will to recognize the mirth in his eyes.

“Anyway,” Leo said. “Before _omo celoso_ here interrupted us, we were listening to a story.”

“You should really stop treating people’s lives like they exist for your entertainment,” Jason told him. Piper giggled, and Leo sent him a wink. Jason’s whole face turned as red as a tomato. Nico imprinted the memory into his head, just in case he ever needed to have something to tease Jason about.

“I was telling them about the time I went to Paris,” Will said. He grimaced. “We were on the Eiffel Tower when my Father’s girlfriend discovered he was cheating on her.”

“With whom?” Leo asked, eagerly leaning on the table.

Will and Piper both burst out laughing. “Well,” Will said, clicking his tongue. “I was eleven at the time. My parents, uh, they divorced when I was eight.”

“Just a quick note,” Piper said. “His oldest half-brother is two years younger than him.”

“Thanks,” Will said. He fixed his eyes on Nico, before dropping to the table. “Very helpful. Uh. So, we were on the Eiffel Tower, and my father’s girlfriend sees him passing the waitress his number. She goes absolutely mad, and she was right, really. My father’s a really lewd man. So she gets his phone, calls a cab for herself and orders a flight back to California. She finds the messages he had exchanged with his lovers.”

“God, that’s so disgusting,” Annabeth said.

“That’s not the worst he’s done,” Piper replied.

“Wait, how do you even know?” Percy asked her.

Piper sent Will a panicked glance, and he cleared his throat. “We were neighbors. Kind of.”

“Oh my God, isn’t that so cute?” Jason exclaimed, his eyes on Nico. As if he knew Nico was storing teasing material. As if this was his revenge. They knew each other well enough for it to be possible. “You two would have met through Piper!”

“So no one’s going to talk about the fact that we discovered it now?” Percy asked. He was ignored.

“I can’t believe we’ve been robbed of the chance of introducing them to each other!” Leo wailed loudly, gathering the attention of the other costumers. “We’d’ve held it over Nico’s head for the rest of our lives.”

“Holding something over my head?” Nico scoffed. “With your height?”

Leo hit him in the shins from under the table, making him hiss. He sent the hit right back, but hit the table.

“Jealousy’s taking your aim away, _hombre_ ,” Leo commented.

He was lucky Will’s attention was on Annabeth, or Nico would have used him to replace the table leg.

“I’m absolutely not jealous,” Nico hissed, trying to hit Leo again. He hit the table instead, a jolt of pain shot through his leg.

“You know, just because you’re prince doesn’t mean you can destroy the furniture,” Will chirped with a sickeningly sweet smile, using napkins to rub the spilled chocolate. “By the way, you now owe me a free chocolate.”

“You lost two sips at most.” Nico took a long sip of his coffee, the bitterness heaving on his words, not only his tongue. “If you want another, go back to flirting with the instructor.”

Will leaned closer, batting his eyelashes with a coy smile. “Maybe I’d rather flirt with you for another.”

Nico shoved him by the shoulder, a grin stretching on his lips. “Fuck off.”

They both laughed.

Will fell on the sofa next to Niccolò with a loud sigh. Before turning the TV on, he complained about his tiredness, his old age, the weather.. Niccolò didn’t say a single word, but his eyes were

“The house is silent again,” he said.

“Yeah.” Niccolò cleared his throat, looking away. He crossed his legs, looking like he didn’t know how to act now that they were alone. They would be for a few more days, so he’d better get used back to it. It was unnerving Will.

“I’d gotten used to having them around. Have you always been so close to your cousins?”

Niccolò grunted. “I wouldn’t say we’re close, even now.”

“You look like it.”

“Maybe we are.” He stayed silent long enough for Will to think he wouldn’t add anything. “With–with Jason. It’s more complicated with Percy. I’ve seen him much more than Jason, and we–I had–” He cleared his throat, but his hands were shaking, and Will wanted to wrap his own fingers around Niccolò’s. He knew the other wouldn’t like it, though. “He was already around when Bianca died. So. I took him out on him.” He passed a hand through his hair. It wasn’t very long, less than an inch, what with being cut short in the military.

“He looks at you like you are his little brother, though.”

“I hated it back then.” He nodded toward the television, before Will could do as much as thinking about asking more. “So, why are you on YouTube again?”

“I just realized I never got around to watching your eleven awkward moments.”

Niccolò groaned.

Niccolò was around fifteen years old. He held a scepter, or what looked like it. People all around were looking at him, cameras going off. He kept looking around, never keeping his eyes on something a second too long. Then, he mouthed at the King, and his words had been written as subtitles:

_What was I supposed to do now?_

The MC smiled at Niccolò. Niccolò nodded and smiled. Hazel talked, the MC responded. Niccolò looked at the crowd. Cheers and screams grew louder. Some people shouted his name. Others that they wanted to marry him. Niccolò grimaced.

_Prince Niccolò: Great King of Shut the Hell Up_

Niccolò got out of the car, walking toward the entrance of the hotel without paying much attention to the people screaming his name. That is, until someone shouted “ _Prince Neeks!_ ”

It was a reporter. And Niccolò, disdain clear on his face, closed the button of his jacket. His lips were tilted downwards, his chin and nose all scrunched up.

“It’s _Niccolò_.”

Will was doubled over in laughter, half down the couch. Niccolò sat still, only a slight twitch on his mouth, not quite a smile. Not quite a frown either.

“So, how does it feel like to be the Prince?”

“Well. I’ve always been a prince, so. It feels like every other day feels.”

The reporter laughed. “Can’t say I know what that is.”

Niccolò nodded. The reporter nodded. They nodded at each other.

“God, this is such a torture.”

“You really do make everything awkward. I wish I’d filmed our first few hours together.”

Niccolò groaned from behind his hands.

“I would be a _billionaire_ by now.”

“Nico say hi!” Came Piper’s voice from behind the camera. She was filming an Instagram story.

Nico looked up. He was sitting in front of a piano, a grimace on his face as soon as he took in the scene. He didn’t move.

Eventually, he waved. He sent a panicked glance to something behind Piper’s phone.

“Say hi!” Piper insisted.

“Hello.”

“ _Hi_.”

“But I did!”

“You should’ve said _hi_.”

He hesitated. Sighed. Waved again. “Hi.”

“You have a beautiful soul,” a girl told Niccolò, holding her phone in his face.

His gaze was focused on something out of the frame, a grimace on his face. “Yours, too.”

The girl’s phone fell, her gasp alerting Niccolò that something was happening in front of him. From the ground, the camera still recorded.

“Sorry. You were saying about your sauce?”

Niccolò fell asleep a little after their third video. It wasn’t even half past ten, but he snored lightly. Will lowered the TV volume, put the red blanket with reindeers on him, and leaned back into the couch.

Niccolò was beautiful. He was beautiful under the sun, when the snow glowed all around them. He was beautiful in the morning, when he always stopped mid-stairs to rub his eyes. He was beautiful as Will watched him, with the blue light of the TV, the golden one of the fireplace, shining on the little pout he always wore as he slept.

The knot enveloping Will’s stomach tightened. He took the remote again, and searched for another video. He was met with his parents’ faces in the home. They were young back then. He clicked before he even realized it.

“Before Apollo’s new auto-biographic film comes out next March, we decided to take a walk down memory-line, with the evergreen love between Apollo and Naomi. Both young when they met, they had just become part of the music world. Their first single together sold millions of copies, enough to–”

So enthralled on the old family photos, Will didn’t realize Niccolò had awoken, and his hand had sneaked around Will’s wrist.

“So you are a fan?”

Will looked away from the TV. It was so strange, hearing the woman talk (gossip) about his family, and having Niccolò in the same room. Guilt fell heavy on his chest, constricting his lungs.

_I’m their son._

“I–” His breath broke.

_They are my parents._

“They –”

_They are the reason I can’t look at you and think we could ever work, even if we fell in love and were crazy for each other._

“A fan, yeah.”

Niccolò smiled, stretching his arms. When he stretched his legs, he grimaced. “Yeah, I thought so. You looked pretty taken with Apollo the other day.”

Will nodded. “Yeah.”

“He has a sister, you know?” He yawned, his mouth opened so much his jaw could have dislocated.

Will nodded again. He knew. He had only met her on two occasions, his brothers’ funerals. If his siblings’ funerals were the only times they would ever meet, Will hoped to never see her again.

“I don’t like her,” Niccolò mumbled. His eyes drifted closed, and a second later he was snoring again.

Less than a minute, and his cheek was on Will’s shoulder. Dark hair brushed again his nose, and he took a long breath. Pomegranate. Niccolò tasted of them.

Will turned off the TV, and closed his eyes. He wasn’t tired, but he matched Niccolò’s breath. He slept.

_Spotted!_

_Prince Nico of Elysium and his soulmate have been spotted being cozy in Livigno. Although their stay in the Italian city was made public days ago, clear photos of them hadn’t been released yet ( go to gallery). The Prince’s sexuality has been subject of speculation for many years, with Cupid’s–stage name of famous pap–confirmation that he is, indeed, homosexual. However, it isn’t known whether the Prince’s soulmate might be homosexual as well. _

_The Royal Family hasn’t released any statement regarding the nature of their relationship, although close sources state have stated, that ‘The Prince is quite taken with a close friend of his,’ but the name hasn’t been revealed. Who between Nameless Soulmate and Nameless Friend will win the Prince’s heart?_

_Stay tuned to discover!_

_Latest updates:_

_Naomi to be featured in Apollo: between glory and reality_

_Is Tristan McLean’s daughter Piper’s new suspected sweetheart an ex Hollywood kid?_

Apollo: between glory and reality _, ten reasons to watch it_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! let me know what you think in a comment


	5. 22nd of December

Nico awoke slowly. Blankets were tangled all around him, sticking to his sweaty body. He wanted to yank them off, but his limbs were heavy. Too heavy. A headache pounded in the back of his head, but that wasn’t the cause of his sickness. It took him an embarrassing long time to realize it was his knee.   
And that there were fingers in his hair.  
“Niccolò, you’re running a fever.” The fingers didn’t stop.  
Nico managed to roll on his side and look up, his knee protested loudly. He hissed through gritted teeth. Worry was written in Will’s eyes, in his every feature. He was always so pretty, though.   
Yeah. Pretty.  
“What did you just say?” Will asked.  
Nico blinked again. “Ibuprofen. I need to go buy some.”  
Will yanked him back on the mattress as soon as he tried to sit. “You don’t remember?” His voice was soft, caring. Like an older brother’s. Nico hated it. “You woke up earlier. When you tried walking, you fell. You were asleep on the floor when I found you.”  
Nico didn’t think it was possible, but that heat him up even more. “I’m fine now.”  
“You’re running a fever. You’re not fine.”  
Nico opened his mouth, but Will tightened his grip on his hair, and he closed it. Will talked again.  
“Why are you sick, Niccolò?”  
He had never said Nico’s name, and now he had said it two times. In his dizzy state, Nico could admit his weak spot for Will to himself. He could admit that Will’s pout and mannerism could bend him to anything. And Will was pouting now, maybe without realizing.   
Nico realized he was touching Will’s freckles when the other smiled, and his soft skin moved under his fingertip. He was cooler than Nico, but only for Nico’s fever. Otherwise, he knew the other boy would be warmer. He was so sunny. Like a spring day, far gentler than summer.  
“You can tell me, I won’t tell anyone. I need to know before buying you anything.”  
Nico’s hand dropped back to the mattress. “It’s nothing. It just happens. I need ibuprofen.”  
“Alright.” Will’s smile was tight, almost pouty. “Alright. I’ll go buy it, then.”  
“It’s my knee.” Nico swallowed. “Chronic pain. I just-yesterday and everything. I probably overused it.”  
Will’s fingers moved again against Nico’s scalp. “You don’t need to injure yourself to take me places, you know that, right? I have fun even on the couch. I like spending time with you.”  
Maybe Will was blushing. Hope buried so deep Nico had completely forgotten it, came to life in his chest. Hope. Such a sweet, devouring thing. Nico suppressed it, with everything he had. What would people say if he got with Will? Not that Will could ever know of this new thoughts of Nico. They were friends. Kind of. However hard it had been at the beginning.  
“Don’t get hurt for me,” Will continued. His voice was soft, sweet and strong all at once. Why was it so difficult, trying to understand Will? “I have to go now. Ibuprofen is good.”  
Nico tried to nod, but his neck was stiff. Before living, Will asked him another bunch of questions. Whether he wanted more pillows (despite Nico’s protest Will elevated his injured leg), if he wanted something (“Well shit, I’ll just leave a glass of water here.” “I’m not thirsty, put it away.” “You’re not thirsty with a fever, but normally in the morning you drink half a bottle of water? Of course”) and lastly if he wanted something to eat.   
When Will returned an hour later, Nico wasn’t surprised to see him carrying a grocery bag. But Will was smiling like a little kid, and it was hard to remain annoyed with him. 

All morning long, Nico had tried to force Will into going outside, and not spend the day in bed with him. He assured Will that he wouldn’t feel alone, that he’d be fine on his own. He didn’t like his knee constricting him to bed, if it constricted Will too, it would just break whatever they’d accomplished in their time together. Nico would retreat into his shell.  
“What about me?” Will exclaimed, nudging his foot against Nico’s. “I’m in a country I don’t know, with a language I don’t know. I could die. What if I were kidnapped? Who would explain that to my grandma? You would break her heart.”  
Nico huffed. “Don’t be so dramatic for once.”  
Will moved his head so much Nico wouldn’t have been surprised to see it falling off. “Oh, I am dramatic? Me? Moi?”   
Nico bit back a smile. “Oui, toi.”   
“Baguette.”   
“Oh my–”  
“Tour Eiffel!”   
“Will, shut–”  
“Le cul!”  
Nico burst out laughing, falling forward with his upper body. Will smiled, and for the first time, Nico wondered what it would be like to kiss that smile. Not Will, just the smile, of course.

“Persephone sent me a message earlier,” Nico said, talking over the film they were watching.  
The Lion King, because Will found himself so clever. ‘You’re basically Simba. But he’s sexier,’ he had said, as if just that would convince Nico to watch that film with him. It did.   
‘You don’t even like it,’ Nico had said. ‘We had known each other for what, half a day? And you screamed at me about childhood-friends-to-lovers trope bad done.’  
Will had just laughed. And now he watched Nico with a transfixed expression waiting for more information.   
“Anyway, Persephone.” Nico cleared his throat. “She said people don’t know your name yet. In the palace it was only known by my family, and a few selected ones. And that there’s no information about Will Solace. I told her that’s not your complete name, and that’s the reason. And also to mind their own business, but I guess she’ll be calling you up, too.”  
Will didn’t look at him. His eyes stayed on the TV, as if he couldn’t bring himself to lose even one second of that badly executed trope. “I never paid for international data, so I won’t really be receiving her calls. But thanks.”  
Nico nodded, and took the remote to adjust the volume. He stopped mid-movement. “So you aren’t calling your family.”  
“Yeah.”  
“I’m–you can use mine. If you know their number, that is. You can use my phone and call them, anytime. Now. Even if you don’t know their number. I can call the Secret Services or something.”  
Will chuckled and finally looked up. “My siblings are sleeping now. But later. Thanks.”  
Nico nodded. It was hard to breathe when Will shifted, so that they were closer, resting his head on Nico’s chest. It was hard to breathe, but Will smelled of cinnamon, and Christmas in Venice with his mom and Bianca.

“What did you want to be when you were a kid?”  
Will almost choked on his hot chocolate. Niccolò had talked to him unprompted, completely out of the blue. “When I was a kid…” He bit his lip. “I wanted to–I…”  
“You don’t have to respond.” Niccolò’s words were slurred, his eyes a bit glossy.   
He was still running a fever, although it was much lower. He had slept for over three hours, during which Will had stayed downstairs, and eventually texted Kayla’s number, the only one he could remember. Just to call him there when she could talk.   
“My parents didn’t have stable jobs,” Will eventually said. His voice was low, and his heart thumped in his chest, so hard it hurt. “They traveled a lot, so my siblings and I were always home alone. Michael and Lee wanted to be like them, you know?”  
“What about you?”  
“My grandfather was a doctor. He wanted my mom to be one, too. She didn’t. She–it’s difficult to explain, but I wanted to be a doctor, too. Want.”  
“You don’t really sound like it.”   
Will had been fidgeting with the hem of Nico’s shirt, but now he stopped. “I’m studying to become one.”  
“Of your own will?” Niccolò furrowed his eyebrows. “Is it Will’s will to be a doctor?” He scoffed.  
Will shook his head. “You’re so out of it.”  
“Answer me.”  
“Being demanding is my thing.” Will poked Niccolò’s hip, which had his furrow increase. “I don’t know. It’s difficult. My grandparents raised me, I–I owe it to them. I just want to be someone my grandfather would be proud of.”  
“Would you be proud of yourself if you became someone you don’t want to be?”  
“Is that even still on the plate?” Will blurted out. He blushed under Niccolò’s gaze. “What happens to me after this week is over?”  
Niccolò looked down. He wiggled his toes, clad in socks with reindeers. “I don’t know. I don’t know what will happen to you. But you won’t be trapped on Elysium. People don’t know your name, they don’t know who you are. So you wouldn’t be harassed on the streets, probably. People would forget about you, eventually, if we weren’t seen together anymore.”  
“Would you want that?”   
Nico stopped mid-yawn. “It’s not about what I want.”  
“It is to me.”  
“That’s kind of hypocrite of you to say, isn’t it? You don’t want to be a doctor, but you’re becoming one.”  
Heat flushed Will’s cheeks. “Do you want to be a king? Because you’re becoming one.”  
Niccolò bent his good knee, and he thought about it for a moment. It was something he did when he had Italian words on the tip of his tongue, and he had to rethink them in English for Will. He pursed his lips as he did so. He always did. Would Will ever forget that?   
“I want to make the world a better place. Elysium is good, for the most part. We are one of the happiest countries to live in, or so the data says, but we could still do better. By being prince, and in the future king, I could make the world a better place. I would have the influence to change history.” He took a long breath. “Being king isn’t the final goal, it’s the way.”  
He was twenty, much like Will, and he had his own life together. “Didn’t you say something about studying at the Academy of Fine Arts, though?”  
Niccolò hummed, but closed his eyelids. “I just want to know art before I devote to that.”  
As he slept, Niccolò snuggled closer to Will, until they were laying only a few inches apart, with their hands brushing. Will looked down at him. He wondered what it would have been like to be introduced by Piper. He could almost imagine it.  
He found the courage to tell Niccolò only as the other was still asleep, and the afternoon sun’s light was becoming weak.  
“My sister and Piper’s sister are kind of dancing around each other now,” Will said. “They’ve been best friends for years. I think they’ll be forever, and they’ll be something else too, soon enough. I hope it’s soon, because I’m getting tired of their pining.” He released a shaky breath. Why was he such a coward that he could only talk feelings to Niccolò if the other were asleep? He didn’t notice, but his fingertips were tracing patterns on Niccolò’s hand. “Piper wondered whether they were soulmates. I think that just complicates feelings, you know? Do you love someone because of them, or because of the bond? Can it be real if it’s because of something you can’t see, only feel?” He sighed. “If Drew and Kayla got together, then Piper and I would get close again. She’d introduce us, then. She wouldn’t know we were soulmates, of course. We’d be in Central Park, so maybe I wouldn’t look like an idiot who doesn’t know anything about the country he’s in. I’d be annoying you, because it’s apparently all I ever do, and you’d be so arrogant about it. I wonder whether we’d be friends in that life.”   
Of course, Will’s words were only met by silence. Did he want to be a doctor?   
“I consider you my friend in this life,” Will mumbled. “I know I’m annoying.”

Niccolò didn’t wake up, and Will ate instant noodles alone that night. Kayla called sometime around ten, and loudly shrieked as soon as he answered the call.  
“I thought you’d been kidnapped!” She screamed. Will could vaguely hear Austin telling her to put Will on speaker, and someone else shushing him. Drew, probably.   
“I never paid for international data,” Will said.  
“You fucking scrooge,” Austin said, his voice filled with awe.  
“Spill the tea!” Drew exclaimed. “We want to know everything.”  
Will studied his nails, although they couldn’t see him. “Don’t ask me how I am doing first, or I might get offended.”   
“You’re using an iPhone, aren’t you?” Kayla cut in. “Let’s FaceTime!”   
“I don’t want to see your ugly faces, though.”  
“You’re so lucky you’re in Italy, Solace, or I would slap you into your next life for ever hinting that I’m not the most beautiful person you’ve ever seen,” Drew hissed. Will didn’t need to see her to know her eyes were narrowed, and cheeks puffed out. A smile tugged on his lips.  
He thought about another person, though. For some reason, at her words he imagined Niccolò studying Fine Arts. He didn’t even know what people truly studied in that, but he imagined Niccolò sitting on a stool, wearing old denim overalls, and a white shirt underneath. And of course he had a scalpel in his hands, and a block of marble in front of him.  
“We’re seeing your ear, idiot!”  
Will took the phone off his ear. Niccolò’s phone. In which he messaged people, but Will wasn’t creepy, and Niccolò had trusted him not to snoop around it. Did he exchange messages with his girlfriend on that same phone?  
“Why do you look like you’re pooping?” Austin asked.  
Will pursed his lips. “I really want to snoop around his phone.”  
“Don’t!” Austin exclaimed. “He trusted you with it.”  
“What if he talked about you with his friends?” Kayla said. She covered her mouth with her hands. She tilted her head to the side. “We need to know!”  
“We have a right to know!” Drew added.  
Oh, the two of them were good at it.  
“Will!” Austin whined, when Will left the app, and his video paused.   
He came back less than a second later, kicking his feet on the sofa. “I can’t believe I almost did that. I’m a monster!”  
“Yes you are, now go back and look!” Drew said. “Oh my God, what if he has photos of you?”  
“Will!” Austin whined again. “Come back and talk to us. Get distracted, say something!”  
“I met Piper,” Will blurted out. “And Niccolò thinks I’m Apollo’s fan.”  
“Oh dear.” Drew sighed, putting a hand on her neck. “That’s tragic. That’s tragic.”  
Kayla put her head on Drew’s shoulder, and the other turned a bright red. “Tell us everything.”  
“There’s literally nothing to tell,” Will whispered, looking around. If his calculation were right, Niccolò wouldn’t awake until the next morning, with the sun up. “There was the trailer of Apollo’s movie on the TV–by the way, great way to be dad of the year, don’t even tell your children you’re filming a movie about your family–and I just froze. I completely froze, and he was sitting next to me, and he goes ‘oh, you’re a fan? I met him once,’ and then he insulted him. Like, I can’t disagree with what he said, of course, but I lied to him. I don’t know, it’s just–it makes me feel bad.”  
Will fisted his free hand around his loose fitting sweatpants. His fingers kept trembling.   
“I just–I like him, he’s a good friend. But I think I’ve hidden it for too long to come clean now.”  
“You like him as a friend,” Drew deadpanned. She took a smoothie from behind the camera, and slurped loudly. “’Course you do.”  
Heat rose to Will’s cheeks. “I do! He’s nice.”  
“Good-looking, too,” Kayla added.  
Will groaned. “Tell them I can be friends with boys without wanting to marry them, Austin.”  
“But he’s your soulmate!” Kayla said. “There’s got to be something between the two of you.”  
Will turned red, but for a completely different reason. “That’s just what society says, and what everything seems to believe. So what if two people get paired by whatever force, or god, resides in the Universe? What do you expect me to do, sacrifice everything I’ve ever wanted to live off an island in the middle of nothing with him? Even if there was something between us, which there isn’t, I’d have to be his whore, while he goes and finds a girl to be his queen! And that’s not something I want for myself, thank you very much.”   
Kayla sucked in a sharp breath. “Willie...” She didn’t add anything else.  
Tears burned in Will’s eyes. He let the phone camera to face the ceiling, and threw his head back. Breathe. In and out, in and out.   
“Sweetheart,” Drew started, in a tone far sweeter than any Will had ever heard. He immediately knew she was talking to Kayla. “Why don’t you and Austin go take us a coffee from downstairs? I’ll talk to him in the meantime.”  
“We’ll be back soon,” Austin promised. Somewhere not too far, a door clicked shut.  
When they were younger, Will and Drew were best friends. They were around fourteen when they got together. At sixteen, they thought they were still going strong, but that was before Will broke Drew’s heart. They managed to stay friends, but it took some time. They drifted apart.  
“Piper watches your videos, by the way,” Will said. He shifted on his belly, and put the phone against the armrest. Folding his arms under his chin, he heaved out a sigh. “She didn’t want you to know.”  
“And what a dear snitch you are,” Drew said. She sighed as well, putting her cheek against her raised hand. She always was beautiful, but sometimes it still took Will by surprise. “So, from what I heard you sound pretty scared.”  
Will snorted. “Sure.”  
“You’re scared of falling in love with him, aren’t you? It’s clear in the way you are holding yourself back. If you weren’t afraid, you would tell him who you are. Show him. Does it look so easy, falling for him? With the matching marks and all, it must.”  
“He wants a platonic relationship,” Will said. “We even talked about it, kind of. Said we both weren’t ready to have a romantic relationship. I’m honestly not sure whether he likes men, women, none. I just don’t know.”  
“How did talking with him make you feel?”  
Will snorted. “We aren’t together anymore, you don’t have to stand all my bullshit.”  
Drew furrowed her eyebrows. “But we are friends.” She stayed silent for a while. “Aren’t we?”  
“Listen, I just–I know you’re doing this because of Kayla, and I want you to know that you don’t have to.”  
“I was your friend long before I even met Kayla.” Drew blinked quickly, looking everywhere but at the phone. “Listen, I–I’m sorry. For-for liking Kayla. I know I shouldn’t, and I’ve tried, I really tried. I just–I’ve grown. I would be better to her than I was to you, if she would give me a chance.”  
Will’s stomach sank. Was she asking for his permission? Was it his fault they weren’t together yet? “What the hell.” He was breaking his sister’s heart without even realizing it, wasn’t he?  
“It’s just–I know I’m not nearly enough for her, but she makes me happy, and I make her happy. And maybe we could do this just for us, you know? If she were a bit more selfish maybe she would. Maybe she wouldn’t care that you and I were each other’s first heartbreak. Maybe she would see me as more than her brother’s psychotic ex, who still goes to his house every single day. And I know–”  
“You don’t know anything if you think she sees you like that.” Will interrupted her. Seeing Drew’s cheeks stained with tears and not being able to wipe them away physically hurt. “And I’m sorry if I made you think that I wouldn’t be okay with you being with Kayla. I would be more than okay with that, not that either of you needs my permission. And you were never bad to me. I’m the one who needs to apologize, I was a dick to you. A real dick, and–”  
“You were hurting. I should have stayed closer to you.”  
“I disappeared on you. I just–I needed time, and it helped me, but I did it the wrong way. I can’t go back in time and change it, but you deserved far better than that. Our relationship deserved better than that. Our friendship even more.”   
Drew let out an ugly sob, which caused Will to cry harder. After a while, they were both just sobbing harder every time they caught a glimpse of the other.  
“Way to get closure on your first love years later,” Drew said, putting her hands on her mouth.   
Will sobbed harder. “We fucked up so bad.”  
Drew’s makeup was running over her cheeks. “Yeah. We did. We’re dumbasses. Pining after people we can’t have is what we deserve.”  
Will let out a wet laugh. “You have hope with Kayla.”  
“Shut up,” Drew hissed, looking around. “I think I hear them. Quick, do I look like I cried?”  
Will laughed again.   
Pining after people we can’t have.  
“Do you think I should date someone else?” Will asked. “Like, trying to move on somehow? Before actually falling?”  
“That’s a terrible idea,” Drew said. She sniffled. “Do it.”  
Will thought of the Hot Instructor. Then he thought of Paolo.  
“Remember Clarisse?” Will asked.  
Drew grimaced. “Not only is she dating someone else, and by all means, I love-hate her, but do you actually want to date her? That sounds like-like torture.”  
Will groaned. “I meant her brother. Sherman or something?”  
“Oh dear.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for not updating for so long! I got caught up in schoolwork, but now i should be able to update more frequently.  
> there's probably going to be another two/three chapters left


	6. 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th of December

23rd of December

“Will?” Niccolò mumbled, as the other climbed in the bed. His words were slurred by tiredness and sleepiness. “Did you talk with your family?”

Will nodded, hugging the blankets around himself. It was warm enough to fall asleep in a second. He didn’t want to, not yet, not when they had so little left, so he kept his eyes open, just for a little while. He could only make out Niccolò’s shape in the darkness of the room.

“Yeah. They’re doing fine.” Will’s throat was still dry, his breath uneven.

Niccolò’s voice was little and soft when he said, “Will, did you cry?”

Will nodded. For a moment, the air around them turned stiff and awkward, then Niccolò turned on his side, and held out an arm. It was scary, how Will didn’t think twice about it, before diving right in. His body fit perfectly against Niccolò’s. It hurt Will’s heart in a way he had never experienced before.

Slow, soft, gentle. Everything Niccolò’s fingers were, when they sneaked to Will’s curls and massaged his scalp.

“Do you miss them?” His words tasted of the minty toothpaste they used.

Will nodded. “Yeah. I just–I think that–can I tell you something else?”

“Of course you can, _principino_.”

Will took a deep breath. “I don’t talk to my parents anymore. My father is a thoughtless bastard, as you’ve gathered. My mother just–I don’t think she really _sees_ me. I’m just the result of her relationship with my father, and they didn’t really have the best thing going on. They fought a lot, fucked up a lot. But they were soulmates, so they had to stay together, you know? They had to make it work, because it’s your soulmate or nothing. If your soulmate can’t love you, then no one can.” Will sniffled. He snuggled closer to Niccolò, the hand around his hip tightened. “And people look at them, and keep saying that it’s true love, how they finally renounced the pieces of each other they loved, because they were ruining the rest. And maybe it is, maybe that’s what true love is about. But it still hurt me, you know?” His throat was dry when he swallowed. “I’m sorry I hated you before even knowing who you were.”

“You hated me?” There was no hurt in his voice, but Niccolò was good at hiding his emotions.

“I did. I thought you would treat me like my dad treated my mother, or how my mother treated my dad. That we would ruin the people around us. I thought we’d make something horrendous.” The realization hit him suddenly. Or maybe not suddenly at all, as it was a thought that had been building up in his head for days. “I don’t think we did, though.”

“And that’s good, right?”

Will closed his fist around Niccolò’s shirt. His warmth passed through the soft fabric, Will wanted to bury himself in it, let it warm him from inside out. “It is. What did you think about soulmates?”

For a moment, Niccolò’s fingers stilled. “I liked the idea, someone to love you no matter what.” His voice had never been so vulnerable before. “My father and Persephone are soulmates, much to her mother’s displeasure. But he had three children out of wedlock. Bianca was the eldest of us, before Persephone came in the picture. Mom got pregnant with me little before she and my dad broke it off. They did before he and Persephone found each other, but he got scared or some shit, and met Hazel’s mother.”

Will caressed Niccolò’s collarbones. He realized he was doing it only when Niccolò’s breath hitched. He blushed, but didn’t stop. Niccolò didn’t ask him to either.

“I thought Hazel was Persephone’s child,” Will revealed.

Niccolò skin was covered in goosebumps. He hummed. “She is barren. That’s why I’m heir to the throne. She sees a child in Hazel, sometimes.”

“But you lived in Venice not in Elysium when you were little, didn’t you?”

Niccolò took a deep breath. “With my mom and sister. Sometimes Bianca traveled to Elysium. I never did. Persephone could like Bianca. Everyone could, really. She was kind and gentle, but fierce. She couldn’t stand injustice. She wanted to be a lawyer, study the law.”

Will smiled in the darkness. “What did you want to be?”

“Prince. And when I couldn’t be, I wanted to be a pirate.”

Will chuckled around a yawn. “You are prince now.”

“Because there was no other choice. I wanted–when you said you’d be a doctor to make your grandparents proud, I was a hypocrite. When I was younger, I only wanted to be prince so that my father would be proud of me. So he could look at me, and think I wasn’t a total waste of space. And the people of Elysium wouldn’t only see their king’s bastard child in me.” As he talked, Niccolò’s fingertips tapped on Will’s hip. “I lived in exile, and after they took my sister from me, they took me, too. My mother’s body was long since cold when I moved to Elysium. They just made me pack my bags, and now we don’t talk about the fact that I used to have a whole other life.”

“Do you miss it?”

“I don’t remember enough to do that. I spent so much time not thinking about it, that when I try to now, I just can’t recall more than bits and pieces.” His breath shook. “I remember running down Canal Grande in Venice. The sun on my back, and my own laugh. Bianca’s smile when she turned and looked back at me. Our mother shouting. I don’t even know if that memory is real, or if I was so lonely, I created it.” He stayed silent for a long moment, and Will thought he had fallen asleep. “If that was real, then I miss it. If it wasn’t, I miss it anyway.”

Will rubbed his cheeks away against the mattress, hoping Niccolò hadn’t noticed.

“There’s something I haven’t told you,” Will said. “About my parents. About who I am.”

“I know.”

Will’s whole body went stiff. “You know?”

“I know you haven’t told me something. You don’t have to tell me, though.” Niccolò passed his fingers through Will’s hair. “I’ll trust you, if you’ll let me.”

Less than an hour earlier, Will had talked to Drew about Sherman, about dating someone else, but the thought stayed far from his head as he snuggled even closer to Niccolò.

“Thank you,” was all he said. And then he felt something tug in his chest.

Longing. More. He wanted more. He was hugging Niccolò in his bed, and they were alone, and Will hadn’t wanted to find his soulmate, but his soulmate was Niccolò and he had never stood a chance against something so big. His walls had crumbled down, and he had been too blind to notice.

“We shouldn’t do this,” Will said, his words whispered against Niccolò’s skin. “We shouldn’t do this when there’s not a chance for us.”

“Tomorrow. Tomorrow we’ll wake up and we won’t do this anymore.”

“It’s already tomorrow.” Will sniffled. “I used to play a game with my brothers, when our–my parents fought loudly. One had to choose a letter, and the others named a city and an animal with that letter.”

Niccolò hummed. “P.”

Will bit the inside of his cheeks. “You need to?”

Niccolò took a moment to understand, and when he did, he broke out laughing. “Stop being an asshole.”

“Alright. I’d like to live in Philadelphia, with a, uh. What animals are there with the letter p? Uh.” Will furrowed his eyebrows, pouting in the dark. “You ruined the game.”

“You just suck.” He groaned, as though he were lifting something heavy. “ _Paguro_.”

“What?”

“It’s an animal with a _p_. It means, uh, hermit crab.”

“Such a cultured man.”

And Niccolò laughed. They kept on talking for a bit, and Niccolò said he’d like to live in the outskirts of Austin, Texas, and be a farmer. He wanted to have an alpaca.

“What are you laughing at?” Niccolò asked when the silence was broken by Will’s raucous laughter.

“You just make me laugh.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. A lot.”

“But like, are you laughing _with_ me or _at_ me?”

And Will laughed again.

“Persephone called me. There’s a flight booked for you on the twenty-sixth of December. Four in the morning.”

“Oh.”

“There’s still three days before that, though.”

“What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know.”

“We should do the gift exchange. Between the two of us. We’ll be here on Christmas, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then do your worst. The one who picks the worst gift wins.”

Mornings had never felt as long as the one they spent apart. From the moment they stepped out of the house, Will’s mark began burning slightly.

“I think the bond has settled,” Nico said when they met up in the restaurant for lunch. “For me, at least.”

Will spoke in a breath. “Me too.” He smiled, but it turned bitter quickly. “It’ll hurt when we separate.”

“What if we don’t?” Nico asked. His heart thrummed in his chest, as he leaned forward a little, his elbows on the table. “There will always be a place for you in Elysium, you know?”

“My life isn’t there,” Will said. “I–I don’t want to be a doctor, but I also don’t want to–I have my life in New York.”

“Hey, it’s okay.” Nico smiled, but it didn’t meet his eyes. “It was just a stupid idea, anyway. I mean, it will hurt, but it’ll pass eventually. We won’t even remember it’s there.”

“I will,” Will said softly. “I won’t just forget about it.”

Nico didn’t have anything to say to that. They ate in silence.

24th of December

“You can say it when you want something,” Reyna said. “It doesn’t make you selfish. And even if it does, it’s okay to be sometimes, for the things that are worth it.”

Nico clutched the phone tighter. “He doesn’t want to come to Elysium.”

“Convince him somehow. Or you could go to New York, frequent university there. It’s an option.”

“But then what? University doesn’t last forever.”

“What you have with Will, could that be forever?”

“I don’t know. Sometimes–sometimes I think it might be. As a friendship.”

“Are you saying that because friendship is all you both want, or because it’s what people expect of you?” Her soft smile was heard even through the phone, and was reflected in her tone. “It’s your life, live it as you deem, not as people tell you.”

“I know. I just–I don’t even know if he could ever like me like that.”

Reyna huffed. “Self-deprecation isn’t a good look on anyone, Nico. Does he know you like him like that?”

“Oh my God, I don’t like him!”

She groaned, but almost sounded like a laugh. “Nico.”

“Alright, he doesn’t of course. We talked about it once, and we both said we weren’t ready for a relationship. Maybe he even has someone back home.”

“Have you seen articles recently? Because I sure as hell hope he hasn’t, or that if he has you two have talked about it. Someone said you have a girlfriend, probably to cover up the possibility of you and Will choosing to have a romantic bond.”

“He wouldn’t like that. His parents were soulmates, and they fought a lot and–he just wants to be friends.”

“It seems to me, like you’re hiding behind well-crafted excuses.”

“It’s _true_.”

“I’m not saying it isn’t, I’m just saying that you’re using it as an excuse. You like him, and what if he likes you?”

“Even if he did, we could never be together. He lives in New York, Reyna. He doesn’t want to leave New York, and I can’t leave Elysium. With the bond settled, things just get harder. It will hurt every time we talk and every second we don’t.”

“What is your biggest fear right now, Nico?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are you sure?”

Nico took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. “Losing him, I guess. I’m afraid of losing him, and missing him for the rest of my life.”

“It will be hard, but I think you two can do it. I think you can work out a way to be together. You are not the first soulmates to have completely different lives.”

“So I should talk to him.”

“Of course you should.”

“Yeah. Right. Talking. I can do that.”

As it turned out, talking wasn’t so easy.

In the afternoon they took a walk through the city. Everything made Will smile, to the point his cheeks must have hurt. If they did, he didn’t say. Nico realized he was following Will around like a lost puppy, but he didn’t know what else to do. In the morning they had been given a Christmas tree, and now Will wanted to decorate it. Nico huffed and sighed, calling him an overgrown baby, all the while hiding a smile.

“It could become a tradition,” Will said. He had his hands in his pockets, and refused to look up from the stand of handmade Christmas balls they were in front of.

“You ordering me around?” Nico asked, cocking an eyebrow. He clasped his hands behind his back, leaning forward to take a peak to the stand. It was covered in red balls. Even through all the layers he could feel the heat radiating off Will’s body. Even more so when the other leaned back, resting against Nico’s shoulder.

Nico’s breath hitched.

“No, spending Christmas together. No wait, you probably have galas or something. Sorry.” He scoffed.

Nico couldn’t see Will’s face. He immediately missed the his warmth when he stepped forward. With his heart thumping in his chest, Nico did the same, hooking his chin on Will’s shoulder, with the pretense of taking another look.

“I will miss them for you,” Nico said, speaking so quietly it was a mystery how Will heard him.

He did, and tensed up. When he spoke, his voice was as soft as cotton balls. “Would you?”

“I don’t like them much to begin with.” Nico cleared his throat, the tension unbearable. Will’s fingers were shaking. Nico stepped back, taking his wallet from his pocket. “So, which ones would you like?”

They didn’t speak much. They found themselves in a café a while later, with steaming cups of hot chocolate and coffee on the table. As soon as Nico was recognized, they were gifted cookies.

“Something I never understood,” Nico said, trying to break the tension. “Is why they always gift rich people with food.”

Will choked on his hot chocolate, falling forward on the table. He laughed so hard other costumers turned to look at them. Glare at them, more specifically.

“You’re such an old man,” Will finally said, shaking his head. He sighed heavily. “God, my grandmother will love you.”

“Oh, you plan on introducing us?” Nico asked, learning forward, a small smile on his face. “Let me tell you, every mother and grandmother hates me before knowing I’m rich. They think I’m a gangster.”

Will snorted, in a way he would later realize didn’t make him more attractive at all. “Oh, shut up. You’re a marshmallow.”

Nico clasped his lips. “Wow. That I’ve never been called.”

“I find that hard to believe. Don’t you have pet-names with your girlfriends?”

Nico furrowed his eyebrows. “Girl…friends? Like, girls who are my friends?” Reyna’s words came back to him in full force, as he watched Will tilt his head to the side. “You mean like a…a…?”

“A romantic partner who is a girl?” Will tried. His eyes roamed around the room, before setting back on Nico. He tapped his fingers on the table, at the same rhythm as the music passing on the radio. “Don’t you have one now?”

Nico turned red in less than a second. “I don’t. But, like, I also won’t. Never. I won’t ever have a girlfriend.”

“Oh my God, do you still do arranged marriages?”

Will seemed outraged, and for a moment Nico wondered if he was being serious. Was he always so dense? It took him a moment to remember that yes, he was. With no doubt _at all_.

“Will, I’m gay.”

Will’s eyebrows shot up so fast they should have fallen from his forehead. “Oh.”

He furrowed his eyebrows even more. God. God, had Nico fucked up? Why did he have to listen to Reyna of all people? What did she know? God. Fantastic. Perfect. He would never, ever–

“Is that how you know French?”

Nico looked at him for a long moment. Will, and the smile he was trying to suppress, his lips half-upturned but not completely, and his eyes, they shone so bright, and–

“Oh my God, are you being serious right now?”

And Will laughed.

Will threw himself over Niccolò on the couch. He could start thinking about the future the next day, or the day after. They had turned on the lights on the Christmas tree, and they were now flickering with red, green and yellow.

Niccolò huffed, letting his hand fall between Will’s shoulders blade. “God, are you always so hot?”

Will put his chin on Niccolò’s chest, batting his eyelashes coyly. “Are you always such a flirt?”

“I–” He turned red, his Adam apple going up and down. “I meant warm. Not, like, hot as in sexy. I mean. I mean, you–it’s not like-”

Will laughed. “Sometimes I forget you’re shy.”

Niccolò’s whole face transformed into a frown. “That’s because I’m not. Fuck you, Will.”

Will laughed some more. Niccolò was avoiding his eyes, so he propped himself on his elbows, getting in Niccolò face with a blinding smile.

It was almost anticlimactic the way it happened.

Will was laughing, until he wasn’t. Niccolò was sputtering, until he wasn’t. They had been on their own, until someone had thrown them together, closing them in a house in Livigno. They had been strangers, until they weren’t.

Will had despised the idea of soulmates, until he hadn’t. Because with Nico, with Nico he could envision it. Waking up together, planning a life together. Having a dog, and then another, maybe even a cat. Walking down the streets together, holding each other’s hand. Traveling Europe train by train, without having a route.

For once in his life, he could imagine it all.

Nico had a light stubble from the day, and Will wanted to touch it, run his fingertips over the curves of Nico’s face. Touch his skin where it wasn’t so perfect, where Prince Niccolò met Nico. Remind himself that, after all, Niccolò was just Nico, who liked black coffee and sputtered when he was nervous.

And then they were on the ground. Will’s arm had given in under the weight of his body, and he fell to the ground. Nico’s limbs were tangled with his, so they fell together. Nico’s head touched the carpet with a loud _thud_.

“Oh my God!” Will shrieked. He tried to stand, but only entangled himself further in the blanket that had been covering Nico. “How’s your head? Oh my God, can you even hear me?”

Nico groaned, making no move to stand. He covered his face with his hands. “With the frequencies you’re speaking at, I’m also probably losing my hearing.”

“Fuck, I’m getting you some ice.” He bolted to the kitchen, and a new sound of despair echoed through the house. “Do we even have ice?”

Nico took his phone out of his pocket, and sent a message to Reyna.

_I almost kissed him and fucked up._

She responded after a few moments.

_I bet you didn’t talk about it._

Nico huffed.

_You don’t say._

With some dizziness, he stood and reached the kitchen. He sat on the counter, watching Will roam through the freezer, and only come back with a bag of iced peas.

He must have not heard Nico, for when he saw him sitting there he completely paled, almost dropping the peas.

“Careful, those are sacred around here,” Nico said.

Will nodded, with a little smile on his lips, that didn’t seem natural at all.

Nico chewed on his lower lip. How did he bring it up? _Sorry I tried to kiss you, I was just vibe checking_? Was that something normal kids these days said?

“You know about the soulmate ceremony?” Nico blurted out, reaching forward to take the bag of peas from Will’s hands.

“Yeah?” Will prompted, sitting on the other stool and swinging his feet.

“Well. We’ll have to choose a color palette. One day. When we actually have it.” Nico nodded. “Well, that was it. All I had to say. Yep.”

Will snorted through his nose. “Is that really all you have to say?”

Will leaned forward, taking the wrist of the hand in which Nico was uselessly holding the bag, and brought it to Nico’s temple. Nico adjusted his grip on it. Will’s hand seemed to linger forever, and if Nico were honest, he would have admitted he wished it would.

“No.” Nico’s heart stopped beating. It literally stopped beating, then did so hard it broke his chest. “It’s not all I have to say.”

“What else is there, then?”

Oh. Oh, Will’s eyes. They had resumed their puppy resemblance, or maybe puppy eyes should have just been called Will’s eyes, because Nico was pretty sure he had invented them. There was no other explanation of why he would ever look so good with them.

“Before the ritual, we have to decide what we should be. Platonic or romantic.”

“You’re gay, I’m bi.”

Nico’s breath resembled a sob. “Yeah.”

“But you’re a prince.”

“Yeah.”

Will’s eyes were still so sweet, even with the hurt so clear in them. “We don’t really have a choice then, do we?”

“I can’t offer you a relationship.” Nico shook his head; he couldn’t bear Will’s knowing gaze anymore. He looked away. “If I keep seeing you, then I’ll fall in love. But even then, we’d have to sneak around, keep being in secret.”

“Just–I just have a question. Why can’t you be gay? Are your parents homophobes?””

“Not my parents. They know. But it would cause problems if I were to create a scandal. My sisters, my mother, my father’s past… everything would be thrown right back on journals. I have to keep quiet, so I can live peacefully. And I can’t ask that of you. You deserve to be loved in the open.”

Will’s smile turned bitter. “So do you.” Slowly, oh so slowly, his hand covered Nico’s. His skin was soft and warm, much like he was. “You deserve to be happy.”

“Our happiness doesn’t overlap, does it? I’ll be a prince for the rest of my life, famous forever.”

“I know.” Will gripped his hand tighter, and Nico let the peas bag fall to the counter. He tried to smile again. It looked more like a grimace. “Star crossed lovers, aren’t we, my _darlin’_?” He tilted his head to the side, causing the blonde curls on his head to move, and the perfume of his shampoo to expand through the air. “If you could be selfish just for this one moment, this one night, what would you do?”

Nico didn’t hesitate. He stood, and cupped Will’s jaw. Was Will’s mark pulsing as his own was? Could he feel the sparks where they touched? Nico leaned forward, and kissed him. The first kiss was little more than a lingering peck, but it was followed by another, and another again. They separated, keeping their foreheads resting against one another’s. One of Will’s hand was on Nico’s shoulder, the other on the small of his back.

Their breaths mingled. Nico was sure that, if he looked away, he’d never have the force to meet Will’s eyes again. So he didn’t. He didn’t have to either, because Will kissed him again, and it was heated and perfect, and their marks were really pulsing this time.

Spending Christmas Eve with a stranger hadn’t been on Will’s to-do list. As he lays in bed later the same night, he wonders whether Nico has ever been one at all.

25th of December

Will has never spent a Christmas quite like this. He sits in front of the TV, with Nico’s chest against his back, Nico’s own back against the sofa.

“What time is the flight, again?” Will asks. His voice is low, a bit raspy.

“Five in the afternoon. They’ll come pick us up around three, I think.”

Will rests his head on Nico’s shoulder, dropping a little to the ground, and looking up at him.

“We have to open the gifts,” Nico says. He makes to move, but Will is quicker, and puts his hand on Nico’s knee, stopping him mid-movement. But Will doesn’t know how to start when his heart is beating like this, and _Nico_ looking at him like this. “Will?”

“Remember when I said my name wasn’t William?” he asks.

“Yes. What has that to do with now?”

YouTube is open on the TV, and Taylor Swift’s _Christmas Tree Farm_ playing quietly. In the music video are some photos of her childhood, and Will finds the force of turning to look at Nico by seeing little Taylor fall in a pile of snow.

“If I tell you the truth, will you forgive me for not telling you sooner?”

Once again, Nico doesn’t hesitate in cupping Will’s cheek with his hand. His touch is so tender it shouldn’t be legal. Eve and Adam must have felt like this, when they ate the forbidden fruit. “Everything that happened between us, happened with me knowing you were keeping something from me.”

Will nods. “But I–it might change what you think of me.”

“Unless you tell me you’re an assassin sent to kill me, then I don’t think we’re in that kind of trouble.”

“My name.” Will wraps his fingers around Nico’s wrist, keeping it there. He wets his lips, almost laughs at the way Nico blushes. “You know Apollo’s real name?”

Nico furrows his eyebrows, tilting his head to the side. He still seems so confused. “No? Don’t they say it’s one of Hollywood’s best kept secrets?”

The warmth of Nico’s skin against his and the softness of the carpet underneath them are the only things keeping Will’s head above the waters his mind has turned into.

“Lester Papadopolous. That’s his name.”

Nico still doesn’t understand. “Were you a groupie or something?”

“God, no, I–listen.” Will sits straighter, without even thinking of letting Nico go, with the fear of his touch never coming back. “People don’t know where his children ended up, right? But he had a lot.”

“Yeah. I mean, I don’t really keep up with Hollywood gossip or whatever, but I don’t get where you’re going with–”

“My name,” Will interrupts him. “My name now is Fitzwilliam Andrew Solace. But it used to be Fitzwilliam Andrew Papadopolous.”

Nico is silent for a long moment. His hand slips from Will’s cheek, passing through his fingers, wrapped too loosely, and to the ground. It makes the same thud his head has the night prior. His face is unreadable.

“You are his son,” he finally says.

God. Why is his voice so carefully blank? Will doesn’t want them to be careful around each other, not after they’ve got so far.

Will nods. “His and Naomi. They–I didn’t really want to stay after what happened with Lee and Michael. I had a big fight with my father.”

“Yeah. Yeah, it makes sense.”

 _What? What makes sense?_ Will wants to scream, tear his own hair out, but he can’t. He’s not a child anymore.

Will sniffles. “Well, we can open the gifts now that that is in the open, anyway.” He claps his hands, willing the knot in his chest away. When he can’t, he starts ignoring it. “Just felt like you should know and everything.”

He uncrosses his legs to stand, but Nico’s fingers wrap around his wrist. This time it’s him trying to keep Will close.

Nico takes a deep breath, and talks so fast he could be an undercover rapper. “You know I don’t think any different of you for that, right? And I hope I didn’t do anything to make you feel pressured to tell me, although I am glad you did, and I think it might help to know in the future.”

Will stares dumbfounded at him. “Future.”

“Yeah. I still want to know a lot about you.” He turns as red as the jumper Will has found in the back of the wardrobe, and forced on him. In Will’s defense, Nico hasn’t put up that much of a fight, and red really suits him. “Even when we go back to platonic. You’re wonderful as Fitzwilliam Andrew Solace, I’m sure you were wonderful as Fitzwilliam Andrew Papopolous.”

 _Platonic._ They were good when they were, so the thought shouldn’t hurt Will so much.

“Papadopolous.”

“Yeah, that.”

Will laughs. And then he cries.

It’s dark outside when a car pulls up in the driveway. They have already brought their luggage downstairs. Nico’s phone pings with a new message, and after he checks it, he stands in front of the window to wave at the driver. In silence, they put on their coats. Will has left his gloves in the pockets. Nico takes one of the scarves from the coat hanger, and then puts the other on Will. They stand there for a long moment, looking at each other, no one wanting to go out, meet the outside world again.

“I’ll miss you,” Will says, so quietly he isn’t sure Nico will hear.

“So will I,” Nico responds. And then it’s silent again.

Will wraps his arms around Nico, and the other reciprocates. Will swallows, shutting his eyes and willing the tears away. Why does it feel so much like a goodbye?

26th of December

Will’s siblings and Drew are waiting for him at the airport. He smiles, laughing at Drew and Kayla’s intertwined hands, wishing he and Nico were allowed to do the same. He looks down at his finger, the way the artificial light catches on the ring Nico has gifted him. As they pass the Brooklyn Bridge, he looks East, and in the way the sun shines on the surface of the river, he almost thinks he will forget Nico.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this is the last actual chapter, as the next is an epilogue. hope you liked the story so far! when i say it's a slow burn, what i mean is that it sometimes doesn't burn at all


	7. Epilogue

12th of February

From Will to: the Royal Asshole

_landed. where r u? i’m lost_

From the Royal Asshole

_At the entrance. Where else would I be?_

From Will to: the Royal Asshole

_where I landed so you could help me find the way out_

_tbh it’s like u don’t care that I get lost easily_

From the Royal Asshole

_Turn around, idiot._

Niccolò has grown even more beautiful during the time they’ve spent apart. Will’s breath is caught in his throat for a moment that feels like forever, and they just stand there, looking at one another, a secret challenge between them, to see who will break first and look away.

Niccolò is growing out his hair, which he told Will about, because he ‘wants to see how long they can get’. (“They are hair, doofus. They can reach your waist, if you let them. Honestly, are you just trying to piss me off?”)

The air is cold, and they both wear several layers of clothing. Niccolò is in New York for ‘very important business’, which means that Will has come all the way here from Austin to spend some time together. Seeing each other only on FaceTime is hard, but Will has to admit that it’s still good. It’s not nearly enough, but it’s something.

Will doesn’t know whether he has moved or Niccolò has, but next thing he knows they are crowding each other’s space, and then hugging so hard it should hurt. The soul-mark on Will’s shoulder throbs, but not in pain. Niccolò still has a faint smell of pomegranate, and Will knows, as he takes a deep breath, that he’s going to deny doing so for the rest of his life.

They finally separate, and Nico takes both his and Will’s luggage. Niccolò is staying in some fancy hotel, while Will is going to be with his siblings, in his old room. When he told them he’d be visiting, Austin just sighed. ‘Where am I going to put my wardrobe? It’s literally all on your bed, Will.’ Will ignored him.

“How is everything going?” Niccolò asks, as they exit the airport, and cold air comes hard and unforgiving.

Will shivers. “It’s going, I guess. My grandma is happy to have me there with her for a bit, and I think we needed it.” He tucks his scarf over his nose, sniffling in the cold. A car stops in front of them, too fancy to not attract any attention.

Will gives Niccolò a side-glance. “How fancy, Your Highness.”

Niccolò blushes, but it might be the cold. “Fuck off, will you?”

Will bites back a grin. “Maybe I will. Maybe I _Fitz_ -will.”

Niccolò shakes his head, but a fond and tender smile breaks out on his face, and they climb inside the car. Warm air is far more welcome than that outside. Niccolò rubs his hands together, with a little pout on his face that makes him look even more beautiful.

“How is your grandmother doing?” he asks.

He often does, he’s nice like that. He always sounds interested in Will’s life, even when Will himself realizes how boring it should be, to someone who lives between throne rooms and ancient gardens. Will tells him of his grandmother’s friend, Alice, but he doesn’t say that she’s trying to set him up with his daughter. People don’t recognize him as Prince Niccolò’s soulmate, and the people of his grandmother’s neighborhood know him as Naomi and Apollo’s son.

Will asks him how things are going in Elysium. Niccolò talks about his father, who stubbed his toe in a wall the other day, and has shouted so hard that the guards rang the bell, thinking they were under attack at three in the morning. As he tells the story, Niccolò leans forward to laugh, and hits his forehead against the driver’s seat.

It’s easy to forget the way they said goodbye the day after Christmas. They have been texting almost non-stop ever since, and sometimes they called each other, even if hanging up hurts.

“So, this event of yours,” Will says. He clears his throat. “What time does it end?”

“Late.” Niccolò huffs, crossing his arms on the chest. It seems like they’ll be going to be stuck in traffic for quite some time, but he’s looking out of the window as though he’ll never be here again. “I don’t even want to go there.”

“Prince business and all that,” Will encounters. “You don’t have much choice, do you?”

“Not really, no.” He clears his throat, and it’s terrible how awkward things get when they both remember he’s prince at the same time. “Unless I renounce the crown, I guess.”

Oh. Yes, that. Will snorts, amusement clear in his face as he flashes Niccolò another side-eyed glance. “As if.”

“Yah, I could live like one of you peasants,” Nico grumbles, sinking a bit in his seat.

Will snickers. “You peasants? Say that in Texas, and you’ll get shot.”

“I really hope that’s not a threat, _principino_ ,” Niccolò says, his voice low, little more than a whisper, as smooth as a caress.

Will blushes a deep red, ignoring the shiver that runs down his back, he looks out the window. Yeah, the view is very interesting. He tries to keep his eyes there for the rest of the ride, but he doesn’t have half the necessary strenght, not when Niccolò is sitting right next to him.

When he turns, Nico is already looking at him.

Kayla opens the door with a loud shriek, making Austin startle a bit. He pushes her aside, to step up and hug Will. He takes Will’s face in his hands, turning it left and right.

“What the hell? How do you have a tan?”

“I’ve been in Texas, you know, this past month or so,” Will says, words muffled by the way Austin is squishing his cheeks.

Austin hums. Kayla shrieks again, jumping back, and only then does Will realize that he hasn’t introduced Niccolò yet. He takes a step to the side, allowing everyone’s attention to shift.

“So, this is my–”

A dark aura falls upon the presents. A glittery, sparky Drew Tanaka steps in Will’s visual, wearing only a large flannel shirt he recognizes as his own, open to reveal a white, coffee stained t-shirt. Oh, yes, Kayla’s style has rubbed off on her.

“And who might that be?” She asks, managing to look intimidating. She throws her hair behind her shoulder, looking at Niccolò like he’s some kind of disease.

“As I was saying,” Will responds, grabbing Niccolò’s wrist to drag him forward, steadying him when he stumbles. “This is Niccolò, Prince of many things, and you might call him His Royal Highness on the days he’s particularly generous. On the other days, I suggest you don’t call him at all, because he can be a real bitch.”

Nico rolls his eyes, offering his siblings his hand. “Sorry about him, I’m sure you know better than me to never listen to him. It’s very nice to meet you, and just Nico is fine.”

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Kayla says, blushing to the tip of her ears as they shake hands.

“Well, are you going to offer us food or what?” Will says, interrupting Nico and Drew’s sudden staring contest. Their hands drop back to their hips. He drops his luggage in Niccolò’s hands. “Come, you can drop it by my bed.”

“I didn’t clean it!” Austin shouts after him. Will responds with a groan, louder when he realizes just how unclean Austin has left it.

“Who’s Drew to you?” Niccolò whispers when they are alone in the room.

Will blinks. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing,” Niccolò quickly retreats. “Was just wondering. So, is the saxophone Austin’s?”

Said saxophone is at the corner of the room, on a pile of books, shiny even if it has been used for many years. Will remembers Niccolò’s question a few moments later.

“Oh, yeah. It’s a gift from our father.” He grimaces. “I always thought I’d buy him another one when I became a doctor. I don’t like the thought of it being our father’s gift.”

“His birthday is on a week though, right?”

“Yeah. Next Wednesday, I’m going back to Texas on Thursday.”

“Oh, someone’s getting wasted then.”

Will throws him a sock, but Niccolò dodges it with a grin.

“I used to dodge bullets, you loser,” he says. “Before even having breakfast.”

Will narrows his eyes. That’s kind of a game of Nico’s, saying crazy shit about the army, and most of the time Will can’t guess whether he’s joking or serious. Even now. It sounds incredible, but he’s got that serious expression on his face.

“That’s true,” Will says.

Niccolò laughs, a sound Will misses even before it’s over. “Yeah, every day they woke up the Prince of their nation at dawn, so that they could shoot him.”

Will bites his tongue. “I _knew_ that wasn’t true.”

“You still got it wrong. How much are we at? Fifteen for you, seventy-three for me?”

Will pulls him down on his bed, falling on Austin’s papers and schoolbooks. He hopes they aren’t too important.

“Get the stick out of your ass,” Will says, whacking him with the first textbook he finds. Niccolò has the audacity of laughing.

Someone clears their throat, and Will turns, only realizing he’s straddling Niccolò’s lap when he notices how red Kayla’s cheeks are.

“We have some coffee.” She shifts her weight from one foot to the other, looking everywhere but at Will. “I also took out the good cookies.”

“Oh, dear, this is a great occasion then,” Will says, getting off Niccolò. He stumbles, but doesn’t fall. “By the way, do we still have that stain of mold under the window?”

Kayla nods. “It actually has a child now.”

Will pouts. “It’s a manifestation. It’s because it missed me.”

“Are you comparing yourself to a stain of mold?” Niccolò asks, elongating his step to avoid a shoe abandoned in the middle of the floor. “That’s very unflattering but also very realistic of you.”

Kayla bursts out laughing, as Will grabs another pillows from the sofa and keeps on hitting Niccolò. Once again, he only laughs harder, and soon enough Will is, too.

“How’s being a prince like?” Drew asks Nico, as soon as they sit on the sofa.

“I thought you’d know with the way you put yourself on a throne,” Austin responds. She sends him a saccharine smile.

From what Will’s heard, she and Kayla haven’t changed all that much since they’ve gotten together. They just look at each other like the other has hung up the moon in the sky herself, and sometimes they hold hands.

“It’s not very exciting,” Niccolò says with a shrug. “I guess it’s like being famous, I just wear a crown sometimes.”

“And the cool, black military dress,” Will adds. He doesn’t add that Niccolò is extremely hot in that, and the thought alone makes him blush.

“It’s called a uniform, _Fitzwilliam_ ,” Niccolò says, tilting his head to the side. “You ever heard the word?”

Will blows him a kiss. Niccolò diverts his eyes, and Will counts it as a win.

“I guess you have lots of beautiful women around,” Drew adds, bringing the cup to her mouth. She grimaces at the taste. “Who wouldn’t want to be with a prince, after all?”

“Are you trying to seduce him?” Austin blurts out with a frown.

Drew pinches him in the leg, hard. “I’m making conversation, _dear_.”

“Don’t make conversation about his bedroom’s activity,” Austin hisses.

“Don’t be so fucking rude,” she responds.

“Alright!” Kayla exclaims, a blush deep on her cheeks, her grip on the cup a little desperate. “Why don’t you tell us more about your interests? Your hobbies?”

“By the way, talking about interests,” Drew jumps in again, this time looking at Will like a predator seeing its prey. “Remember Sherman?”

“No!” He exclaims. “Sherman who? Sherman… I don’t know any Sherman. Mh, no. You got the wrong Will, sweetheart.” He takes a long sip of coffee, only to sputter half of it back in the cup. “Who _the hell_ didn’t put sugar in my coffee?”

“Me, because I’m not your fucking barista, you fucking rude animal,” Drew responds.

Austin sighs, leaning back in the armchair. He rubs his temples. “What even is this conversation.”

“I wouldn’t have given your number to Sherman if I’d known you’d be so rude about everything,” Drew continues, holding the cup as if it were a glass of wine.

Will spits his sip of coffee right on the table. He coughs, and Austin hits his back. Niccolò sends him a confused glance, but the rest of his face is completely blank. Will is pretty used by now to picking up his moods, by the sound of his voice and the crease of his brow. Niccolò still hides pretty much most of his emotions, but there’s an instant when he can’t, and the crease of his eyebrows betrays him. Now he’s skipped it, somehow. A pang of pain shoots through Will’s heart.

She turns to Niccolò. “He’s a friend of Will’s family’s son. Didn’t your grandma really like him, Will?”

“She didn’t,” Austin answers for him.

“Oh, I think you’re wrong,” Drew says, waving her hand in dismissal.

Kayla puts her hand on Drew’s on the cup holder. “Let’s have a word alone, mh?”

When they return from Kayla’s bedroom, Drew doesn’t add a thing about Sherman. She and Niccolò politely ignore each other, until he has to leave for the gala, or whatever he is attending.

Niccolò leaves around seven pm. Will hugs him on the doorstep, and if his breath hitches a little, no one has the heart to point it out. Afterwards, Will stays on the cramped sofa with his siblings and Drew, somehow everyone is on someone else’s lap. They watch Golden Girls, and Drew makes an Instagram Story. She’s careful not to take Will’s face in, he’s been trying not to appear too much on her social media. When he does, people remember that he’s Prince Niccolò’s soulmate, and somehow it ends up on gossip sites. He isn’t ready to be under the spotlights again.

Eventually, Austin and Kayla drift off to sleep, and Drew speaks softly to him.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have butted in.”

“No, you shouldn’t have.” He plays with Austin’s hair as he talks, avoiding Drew’s eyes, and everything he might see in them. “I never really told you what happened on our last day together, did I?”

“You haven’t told anyone, no.”

Will finally looks up, and Drew is already looking at him. “I don’t even know how to say it. We talked about… well, everything. He told me he couldn’t be with me, it wouldn’t be fair to either of us, we’d have to sneak around, hiding behind everyone’s back. He’d have to get married to a nice girl someday, anyway.”

“But he loved you.”

Tears burn in the back of Will’s eyes. “He said he knew he was already falling for me.”

“God. That’s awful.”

“Yeah.” He takes a deep breath, deep enough for his lungs to hurt. “We spent the night together.”

“You… like, sexually?”

He doesn’t respond. “And it was nice, the next day. Before we left the house. I thought that if I knew what it would be like to be with him, then eventually I’d be fine. I’d be satisfied with the night and half-day we’d had together.”

“But you aren’t.”

“I just want to go back there, to that day. Like, I wake up in the morning and I want to see him, what he’d be like with my grandma, if he’d be nice with her friends when they come over. You know the neighbor’s daughter? She has a son, now. He’s, like, four. He was learning to use his bike, and he fell, and then I saw his father going there, picking him up and everything. And I realized that I only once saw Niccolò with a kid, and it was in the middle of a packed road, but he was so nice with her, I mean he was talking in Italian, but she kept on giggling and everything.”

“You want kids with him?”

“I just realized that it has never been a possibility for us, and it hurt so fucking much I couldn’t breathe. I just–it’s so unfair. I wish he weren’t a prince and so famous, but then I realize that he is, and that’ a part of him.”

Drew looks down at her lap, playing with the hem of her shirt. “You always despised the thought of soulmates.”

“I know.”

“I was just saying. I was, I mean. I didn’t think you’d ever change your mind.”

“It was before getting to know him. He makes me all–he makes me feel like the world isn’t such a shitty place. And it shouldn’t even be possible, because he’s pessimistic and he pretty much says the world sucks. But he also wants to make it a better place.”

“Now I feel awful for how I treated him.”

Will laughs. “Yeah, the Sherman-thing was pretty shitty. By the way, I really don’t want his number.”

“I guessed.” She grimaces. “I haven’t actually given him yours.”

Will chuckles again.

15th of July

Will rubs his eyes tiredly, still in his pajama, and almost jumps out of his skin when something attacks him.

“Happy birthday, Willie!” Jonathan screams.

Will smiles, taking Jonathan off the ground and throwing him in the air. A smile blooms on his face, so strong he almost forgets the pain in the back of his heart. Kayla, Austin, Valentina and Grace are standing next to his grandmother, with matching smiles on their faces. Will opens his arms, adjusting Jonathan on his hip, and they all come crushing against him.

“Drew, Mitchell and Piper are coming in the afternoon,” Valentina says. She’s fifteen, and she’s actually thinking of becoming a pediatrician. She lives in San Francisco with her mother, and spends a couple of weeks each summer with their family in Argentina. “Lacy couldn’t make it.”

“Thanks for being here,” Will says. “Y’all are looking good.”

Kayla giggles. “I almost forgot how Texan you get when you’re here.”

Will groans. “ _Gimme_ a break.”

Jonathan laughs, throwing his fists in the air. “ _Gimme_!”

Will kisses the top of his head. He hears a shutter going off, and when he glances up he sees his grandmother with a camera in his hands. She has a huge grin on her face, and the flowery dress she wears only on special occasions.

“We’re opening the gifts when everyone comes here!” She says. “And now y’all go off to prepare the table, Willie and I got a talk to get through.”

Austin groans, which earns him a smack on the head by grandmother. She puts her hands on her hips, until only she and Will remain in the room. She stands on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, and hooks her arm in his.

“Come see the geese. They’ve returned in the pool this morning,” she says.

Will grimaces. “Disgusting.”

“Shut up, boy.”

Outside the temperature is far too hot, the sun shines far too bright, but they walk to the garden in the back. There are no geese in the pool. Will turns to his grandmother, but she shushes him, and sits on the wooden bench, under the shadow of the apple tree. He sits beside her.

“Has something happened?” he asks.

His grandmother eyes the too long curls on his forehead. Will can feel them sticking to his damp skin. He brushes them away, but a second later they fall back.

“Your father sent you a gift,” she says. She takes a letter from her pocket, and passes it to him. “Do you want to read it alone?”

“Later. I’ll read it later.”

“Alright.”

Every year Will’s family flies to Austin for his birthday, and they stay at his grandmother’s house for the summer. They spend the morning together, then in the afternoon Drew’s family reaches them. It’s the first year since his brothers’ death that Piper comes.

Will is in the pool with her when he feels it, a tugging from his shoulder, his soul mark pulsing. He lets his empty glass fall from his grip, his fingers going limp.

Niccolò is standing next to his grandmother, shaking Jonathan’s hand with a shy smile as Valentina watches the scene unfold with her jaw gone slack.

“Fancy seeing you here, you gremlin!” Piper exclaims, shaking Will from his trance.

His grandmother has a hand on Niccolò’s shoulder, and he’s still holding Jonathan’s, but Will can see the way he turns softer around every edge when his eyes meet Will’s, comfort falling onto him.

Will doesn’t even realize he’s climbed out of the pool, until he is in Niccolò’s arms, and his clothes are getting wet.

“ _Ooops_ ,” Will says when they let go, and Niccolò’s clothes stick to his body.

“Go, Will!” Drew shouts from where she’s sunbathing in the sun. “You still got your sneaky techniques to get the boys naked!”

Niccolò blushes a deep red, but Will just flips Drew off. His grandmother smacks him on the head, but it’s worth it.

“Is this how we welcome guests, children?” she asks.

Jonathan, the traitor, shakes his head, tugging her dress. “I shook his hand! You saw?”

Grandmother pats him on the head, a smile stretches on her wrinkled face. “Finally someone educated in this household.” She turns back to Niccolò. “Take everything you need. If you can’t find something, just ask Will. He’s missed you, you know?” She caresses Niccolò’s cheek, which has him blushing a deep shade of red, and leaves to go back inside.

“I really did miss you,” Will whispers softly. He intertwines his fingers to Niccolò’s, and tugs him towards the others. “You ever met Piper’s siblings?”

Niccolò shakes his head, but Will is blinded by the light in his eyes, and almost misses it.

They spend the night together, but this time they only stargaze, laying on the old deckchairs near the pool. Niccolò teaches him about constellations, and Will has lived in LA, his best friend is Drew, so he already knows. He doesn’t say, and just listens. If the smile on Niccolò’s face is anything to go by, he already knows.

19th of August

Nico spends the weekend in Livigno with Hazel. Every corner of the house is Will, and his smile, and his laughs.

“Do you miss him?” She asks, as they watch the TV in the living room.

Nico doesn’t find it in himself to answer. He looks back down, at the speech he is holding in three days in front of an audience filled with important people he doesn’t even know the names of. Taylor Swift’s _Christmas_ _Tree_ _Farm_ blasts from TV, and Hazel along under her breath. Nico should have built a blanket fort with Will.

23rd of September

In New York, Will tells Nico that he wants to teach in kindergarten, and every time he talks about it his eyes shine, in a way they never did when he talked about medicine.

They sit on a bench in New York, and Nico asks Will a question he’s had on the tip of his tongue for some months now.

“Will you get your mark covered up?”

Will blinks, as though the question is a sudden thunder, and maybe it is. Nico continues eating his hotdog. It’s too spicy for him, his tongue burns, and so do his eyes. His heart is thundering in his chest, and he isn’t sure why. (That’s a lie. He knows.)

“I never thought about it. Not since I’ve known you.”

Nico’s shoulders relax. He sends Will a side smile, but there’s still a lump in his throat.

6th of November

Nico talks to his therapist. She asks him how he feels about Will, why they haven’t been talking much lately. It’s easy to trust her with the truth after all these years. When he was younger, he’s learnt that telling her half-assed truths doesn’t help him. He doesn’t go every single week to her studio anymore, but sometimes he needs help processing how he feels.

“Guilty,” he says, after thinking about it for a while. “He’s stuck with me, and he hasn’t done anything to deserve it. He deserves a soulmate that can be with him.”

His therapist, Juniper, tilts her head to the side. “If you had the possibility, would you like to be with him romantically?”

She’s one of the first people he’s told about his sexuality. Actually, she had been with him for quite some time when Cupid ‘exposed’ him for the first time. It was a moment of deep bonding for them, she told him it explained many things about his behavior. It also sucked and gave him trauma on too many levels to count, but Nico is trying to see the positive side.

“I don’t have the possibility. Day-dreaming about it won’t help me.” Nico’s tone is cold, far too cold in the regards of such a question. Heat comes to his cheeks. He scratches his neck, even that feels warm. “Sorry, I–I think I would like it.”

“Maybe it would help you feel less guilty if you talked about it with him. I shouldn’t say my personal opinion, but he sounds like a very sweet guy. Someone you can have a real dialogue with.”

9th of November

Will crushes Niccolò in a hug as soon as he sees him. Then, before he can reciprocate, he throws him back and flicks him on the forehead.

“Is this the way to behave?” He turns on his heels, hands on his hips, and walks right back in the apartment. He talks again only after the door is shut behind Niccolò. “You fucking ghosted me!” He sits on the sofa, it creaks dangerously, but it holds on. “You can just tell me when I’m too much, or, I don’t know, if I…when I annoy you.”

Niccolò’s hand is on Will’s shoulder, and then he’s the one being crushed in a hug. He holds onto Niccolò’s shirt, inhaling his perfume. He ignores the tears in his eyes. Will finds himself caged on the couch by Niccolò’s knees on either side of him. Eventually, they find themselves with their foreheads against one another’s. They haven’t been so close since Christmas.

“I don’t know how much longer I can keep on doing this,” Niccolò says, his words daggers in Will’s heart.

“I know. I know, it hurts me too.” Will sniffled. Niccolò’s hair are dark and soft, and he presses a kiss on his head. Niccolò is tall, but now he feels so small in his arms. “It hurt more when I didn’t have you anymore.”

“I know. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

23rd of December

The door opens, and Will is there, in the middle of his grandmother’s house, with his siblings scattered around him. Lidia, Will’s grandmother, hugs Nico, thanking him for coming, and saying words he can’t pay attention to, because his gaze is on Will, who’s looking back at him, and his heart skips a million beats.

Nico has brought Jason, Leo and Piper with him. Drew is already here, with Kayla’s head on her lap, and Jonathan talking her ear off about the gift he’s asked. Jason deposits their gifts under the tree (Nico has asked Austin what to bring to each of them, he didn’t want to be unprepared).

24th of December

Will finds Niccolò in the garden. The moon has been high in the sky for the past few hours, but the air is still warm. Will sits with him in the grass, linking their fingers.

“Can you believe it’s already a year?”

Niccolò smiles. “Next year we could fly to Livigno, if you wanted to. Bring everyone there. Do your siblings have passports?”

A smile grows on Will’s face, and he doesn’t even try to stop it. “Would you really do that?”

“If they are okay with having me for Christmas again.” He clears his throat, as he always does before starting a rant coming from his self-deprecation. “I’d leave you the house if you wanted to, without me. It’s not a problem, of course, we could–”

Will puts a hand on his mouth, stopping him. “But next year you should bring Hazel, too.”

Nico takes the hand off, holding on to his wrist even afterwards, although he’s also trying to maintain a frown on his face. “Would you like that?”

“We’ve been calling each other since Halloween.”

“Halloween?”

“Yeah. We saw each other, she was in New York with Annabeth and the others.” Will shakes Niccolò’s fingers off his wrist, to intertwine their fingers. “Didn’t she tell you?”

“Yeah, yeah, she did.” There’s a deep blush on Niccolò’s face, and he shouldn’t like it so much. “You also sent me a selfie with her.”

“She gets along a lot with Austin. A bit less with Drew, for some reason.”

“Some reason?”

Will lets his head fall on Niccolò’s shoulder, something he wouldn’t do normally, but it’s almost Christmas. He can have this on Christmas. “Drew can be a bit hard around the edges. As sharp as her eyeliner.”

“She hates me. Hated, whatever. Now she just looks at me strangely. Suspiciously.”

“We used to date. For a couple of years, but then–it was back when we lived in LA with my parents, we were neighbors. I really did think we’d last forever.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. After my brothers died, I moved here with my grandparents. I was shitty to Drew, I dealt really badly with grief. I talked with my parents only once since. You can ask me how my brothers died, if you want to.”

Niccolò hesitates, just a second, then his hand squeezes Will’s, and he talks. “How did they die?”

“Overdose, the both of them. Lee first. He was at a party with my father, but dad left him alone, and he overdid it. Michael a couple of months later. He and Lee were really close, and he–he did die of overdose, but he did it on purpose.”

“And your mom?”

“I’m her only child. We just don’t have a relationship. I don’t even hate her. I don’t know her enough for that.”

Will tries to smile. Nico wraps his arms around him, and Will hides his head in the crook of his neck.

27th of June

They talk over the phone every day, and Will calls Nico every night before going to sleep.

“I miss you,” Will says, and his voice is husky, a bit raspy, but his tone is soft.

 _I miss you, too. These days, I miss you so much I forget I do, and think the longing in my chest has always been there._ “I know. Drew told me you’ve been turning that friend of yours down.”

Nico can imagine the frown on Will’s face. “Drew should mind her own business.”

“Why do you turn him down?”

“I’m not interested in him.”

Hearing these words shouldn’t make Nico so happy. They’re trying to move on, the both of them. If Nico doesn’t, nothing changes. He will still marry some girl, maybe be friends with her, have a child together, and die as king. If Will doesn’t, he will be lonely for the rest of his life.

“It might help, though. I–I assume the reason you’re turning him down. Don’t wait for me, Will.”

Will sniffles, and Nico closes his eyes. He closes them so hard his head starts hurting. He almost doesn’t breathe, so Will can’t hear how broken it is. He is.

“You shouldn’t be stuck with me,” Nico says. His words are spoken quietly, so much it’s a wonder how Will hears him. “I’m sorry.”

Will’s sniffles become louder. “I’m not stuck with you. How can you say that, when you make me feel free?”

Nico shuts his eyes tighter. He opens them again. There’s a photo of him with Bianca on the wall in front of them, one of the few he keeps around. He and Bianca are sitting at their table in their house in Venice, with pencils scattered around, as they draw with passion. Nico can’t remember what he was drawing, in the photo he is covering his paper with his whole body, as he leans forward to watch Bianca’s drawing.

29th of June

Niccolò is at the front door of Will’s apartment.

“I wanted to check in on you,” is all he offers as an explanation.

17th of December

“Oh, we broke up,” is all Will offers as an explanation, when he and his family land in Milan, a car waiting for them to bring them to Livigno, and his boyfriend of a couple of months isn’t with them.

Niccolò nods with a tight smile, but worry is clear in his eyes. Does he feel like Will is some kind of burden? Is that what it is about? Will turns away, taking his grandmother’s luggage.

Reyna and Hazel are waiting for them at the house. Will has never met Reyna before, she has never been able to come with Niccolò when he visits. She warms up to him quicker than he thought she would, saying Niccolò has talked plenty about him, and it makes Will’s heart flutter in a way it shouldn’t. His soul-mark pulses every second they are in the same room, yet not touching or at least close. Will uses it as an excuse to hang off of Niccolò’s arm for the rest of the night.

“And there, Lidia,” Niccolò says as he and Will show him the house. “Is where Will punched my cousin Percy in the face, thinking he was a burglar.”

Will blushes. His grandmother’s laugh echoes through the house, and Niccolò looks smug and proud. For a moment or two, Will can’t breathe. He belongs here, and Niccolò belongs with him, too. His eyes sting, and he looks away.

30th of June

Will visits Nico in Rome, in Italy. They travel by bike, and they are on a bridge over the Tevere, whose name Will can’t pronounce, but it’s close to San Pietro. It’s filled with people, and Will is looking at a little girl braiding her friend’s hair, one has red hair, the other is a brunette. When he looks forward again, Nico is some meters away, with the sun kissing his face so well, and his hair getting longer, almost enough to be kept in a ponytail. He smiles, and laughs at something a man says in Italian. He laughs, and over every other noise, it reaches Will.

He curses loudly, falling to the ground, but falling even harder for Niccolò, and now he knows.

He’s in love. Also, he has scraped his knees and a strange bruise with the shape of an almond appears on his cheek the next day.

He’s in love, and he’s been for a very long time, maybe even years.

25th of December

“I keep thinking of our first Christmas together,” Niccolò says.

Hazel’s laugh reaches them from the living room. They are even more this year. Hazel, Reyna, Frank, Piper and her siblings, Jason, Leo, Percy and his family, Annabeth and Will’s family. Earlier, they even had a video-call with Apollo. He’s trying. They’re all trying.

Will still hasn’t decided what to reply, when Niccolò shakes his head and takes a step back.

“I can’t do this anymore,” he says. “I can’t stand it.”

Will’s eyes widen. His hands shake, the glass of water he had been filling falls in the sink, cracking. The house is filled with loud people, there are a million other sounds, but it’s as loud as a bomb in the kitchen. “What–what do you mean?”

He heard his father saying that to his mother, a long time ago, and the next day he moved out. They separated, asked for the divorce, and now they don’t talk anymore. Will can’t let that happen. He can’t.

He surges forward, and kisses Niccolò square on the mouth. They haven’t done anything like that in a very long time, since that first Christmas together three years ago, when they were barely more than children. Even now, they aren’t all that grown.

Nico relaxes against him. He kisses back. Through the years, Will has always thought that yes, maybe Nico could be interested in him that way, but that they would never be able to do something like this again. That if Will kissed him, Nico would tell him they couldn’t, and step back.

Nico doesn’t step back. They have to break apart somehow, sometime later, but they don’t look away. Nico’s eyes are so, so dark. Will is so, so in love.

“ _That_ I can’t do anymore,” he says. His voice is warm, all kinds of soft, and he leaves a trail of pecks on Will’s cheeks, probably one for every freckle. “ _This_ I want to do forever.”

27th of December

It’s all over the news when Nico travels back with Will to America. It’s all over the news, that he’s decided to step away from the crown, and Hazel is now Crown Princess. They have talked about it, and it was her who convinced Nico that she was okay with it, it was something she wanted to do. She also said that she noticed Nico wasn’t happy, hadn’t been for a long time, and that his eyes always wondered to faraway places, even when they were together.

“If being with him makes you happy, and being here and having the crown on your head doesn’t, then I want you to do it.”

During the flight, Nico’s hand stays on Will’s, his thumb stroking with such tender movements over Will’s knuckles, it hurts a bit. They go back to Will’s apartment. Nico is going to look for one of his own, not too far, even though he still has his grandfather’s money if not the Crown’s, so he could buy a whole condo in Manhattan. He wants to be close to Will, close enough to never have to miss him again.

When they are in their pajamas, Austin and Kayla in their rooms, Nico presses a kiss to Will’s forehead, their sides flush together, their feet on the coffee table. There’s a show on the TV, and Nico should thank the director. If not for the plot, since he hasn’t followed it half-enough to know what it talks about, for the way the lights from the TV kisses Will’s face.

“I missed you, too,” Nico says softly. “All those years. I never said it, but I did, too.”

Will lets his head fall on Nico’s shoulder, and takes Nico’s hand to hold it on his lap. He looks up at Nico, through a thick layer of eyelashes, and he smiles. A little smile, because it may take a while for them to be completely okay, but they have all the time in the world now.

“I know,” is all he says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for bearing with me <3


End file.
